


The Reckoning

by Babsgermain95



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Power Rangers Fusion, Bare with me I'm learning, Blood and Violence, F/F, Female Tommy Oliver, Hurt/Comfort, Kimberly Hart/Trini-centric, Other Power Rangers will make appearances throughout, Possible Billy Cranston/Jason Scott in the future, Tags May Change, Zack Taylor & Trini Friendship, new to ao3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 39,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27953708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babsgermain95/pseuds/Babsgermain95
Summary: Trini Gomez was used to being alone in the world. She was used to living her life with her best friend Zack and finding ways to survive. That was until she ran into Princess Kimberly and her crazy journey began. Through everything Trini was left with one question? When the day of The Reckoning came who would be left standing?
Relationships: Kimberly Hart & Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart/Trini, Zack Taylor & Trini
Comments: 13
Kudos: 34





	1. The Fall Of Astraea

“Zack on your left!” Trini screamed warning him about the man charging on his blind side. He spun quickly landing a punch to the man’s gut effectively bringing him to his knees. A flash of yellow caught Trini’s attention and she turned to see another man lunging for her. She swerved letting him run by awkwardly swinging, but only catching air causing him to lose his balance. Trini took the opportunity to land a kick to his back to send him tumbling to the ground. She drew her dagger and kneeled down to place the cool blade against the skin of his neck. 

“Pay up Goldar,” she huffed digging the blade slightly harder against his neck for emphasis. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he grumbled.

“Oh no? So, you don’t know anything about the money you stole?”

“I did no such thing,” he grunted, wincing at the pressure the blade caused at his neck. 

“Right so you wouldn’t mind me checking your bag, then would you?” she said keeping the blade pressed tight against his neck as she grabbed his bag with her other hand. He quickly made a move to grab for it, but she kept him in his place. “Look what we have here,” she said grabbing the large pouch of money inside and shaking it in front of him. “How could this have ended up in there?” 

“I have never seen that before!” he screamed, his voice cracking as he did. 

“Mmhm. Word of advice for next time, when you see me coming just drop the bag so we don’t have to continue this charade. As much fun as it is to continue beating the shit out of you, I have other things to do with my time,” she snarled, standing up and making her way over to Zack who was leaning up against a tree waiting for her to finish. 

“Nice job crazy girl, make him fear for his life,” he laughed holding his hand up for a high five. Trini laughed holding her hand up to return the gesture as they started to walk back to the center of Angel Grove. “So how are we gonna celebrate the victory?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“Like we always do,” she shrugged knowing full well that there was only one thing they ever did after a successful job. They returned the money and collected their payment before heading back to their usual spot at the Pub. Zack came back with a round and joined Trini at their regular table. 

“You’d think he would learn after all of these times,” Zack said before taking a swig of his beer. 

“Goldar is a special kind of stupid Zack. Besides, if he did what would we do for money?” she asked matter-of-factly because the truth of the matter was that Goldar’s mistakes kept them fed. 

“True, he does make it easier for us,” he laughed before clinking his mug against Trini’s and taking another swig. Trini took a swig of her own before noticing an unusual pair of people walk into the Pub. She had never seen them in here before and with the amount of time she and Zack spent at this place it was unusual for them to see people they had never come across before. The pair looked very out of place, but it was apparent that they had tried to look the part to not draw any attention. Try as they might they still clearly did not belong here. The boy had a rugged handsomeness to him with his wavy brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He carried himself with confidence and poise. Trini was sure that he had made many women swoon for him in his lifetime. As handsome and charming as he was, he held no candle to the girl he accompanied. She was truly stunning. She was of average height and slender, but her body was toned. Her black hair was long and sleek and she had beautiful deep brown eyes. She looked uncomfortable and yet imposing at the same time. Even though Trini had never seen her in person, she recognized her the moment she saw her. She had only seen pictures of the Princess, but she knew from the moment she saw this girl that they were the same. 

Zack noticed her stare and glanced in the same direction. If he had any idea who they were he showed no indication of it. He turned to smirk at Trini and must have mistaken her stare for interest as he sauntered off towards the pair as they made their way to order their drinks. 

“Zack!” she called trying to get his attention to stop him from trying to fulfill his need to be a dutiful wingman. He ignored her and by the time she reached him it was too late. She made it to his side just in time for him to start his normal routine. 

“Haven’t seen you two here before. Are you guys from out of town?” he asked and Trini sighed knowing she was too late to stop whatever this would end up being. 

“Uh, yeah you could say that,” the boy answered nervously.

Zack held out a hand to the boy, “the name is Zack. This is Trini,” he finished motioning towards his best friend. The boy grasped his hand in return.

“I’m Jason and this is…” he paused suddenly looking at the girl in a panic. “Kim,” she finished glancing in Trini’s direction. They locked eyes for a moment before Zack broke the silence. 

“Well, Jason and Kim it's nice to meet you. Care to play a game of penny in the hole?” he asked and Jason smirked before leading the way to the table with a hole cut out at one end. 

“I should warn you not to make a wager. You’ll surely regret it,” Zack quipped playfully, grabbing the second drink the barmaid offered him. 

“Is that so? Well, we aren’t the type to back down from a challenge,” Jason said putting down a copious amount of money on the table. It took Zack by surprise as he clearly did not know who they were talking to and was not expecting such a large wager. His confident smirk quickly returned and Trini stared at him with daggers in her eyes as he slapped their entire bag of money on the table in return. 

“Zack!” she whispered to him furiously. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” she asked making sure that their newfound company didn’t hear her. 

“No that would be you crazy girl,” he chuckled. “Relax, this will be like taking candy from a baby,” he finished picking up a coin and tossing it towards the hole but coming up short. Jason grabbed a coin of his own and with a skillful toss landed the coin effortlessly in the hole. 

Trini sent an icy glare at Zack as his mouth gaped open in shock. “What was that you were saying?” she asked coldly shoving him as she walked over to grab her own coin. She tossed the coin and it hit the edge of the hole and bounced back out. She looked over at their opponents, noticing the confident smirk plastered on Jason as Kim picked up her coin and just as skillfully tossed it into the hole to match Jason. 

Round after round they played until Trini and Zack were losing by a considerable amount. A visibly flustered Zack knelt to get down at eye level with the table as if this act would allow him an advantage with his next toss. Trini rolled her eyes at his antics and frustratedly turned away when she saw his next toss hit a patron at the next table. That’s when she saw a group of royal guards making their way towards the front door of the Pub. 

She looked back at Kim and Jason to see if they had noticed, but they were still oblivious. She leaned towards the Princess motioning for her to look towards the doors. Kim’s eyes went wide before she grabbed Jason’s arm to alert him. 

“Well, it was lovely to meet the both of you, but I think we should be going,” Jason said as he stood from the table averting his gaze from the guards and pulling Kim up with him. 

She watched as they made their way for the side entrance and contemplated for a brief second before following closely after them. Zack realized what she was doing and instead of following after her, he waited a moment before standing up and grabbing his mug. He made his way for the main entrance staggering and singing loudly to himself. Trini glanced at him, knowing full well what he was doing which caused a small smirk to tug at her lips. She turned back and quickly grabbed the Princess’s arm to stop them. Kim and Jason turned showing their annoyance for a brief moment before their manners steeled their faces from showing their real emotions. Before they could speak Trini pointed to the guards that had gathered at the side entrance. 

“Follow me,” she commanded watching as they froze for a minute contemplating the idea of trusting a stranger. A moment passed before they decided to do as she said, seeing how they had no other options. She brought them towards the back passing some very confused barmaids but did not allow them the opportunity to say anything to stop them. She opened the back door taking a glance outside to make sure the coast was clear before leading them away from the Pub and into the nearby trees. As they hid, Trini watched as the guards kicked open the front door to the Pub throwing Zack out into the streets. He stood up and exaggeratedly stumbled over himself swerving as if he had drank the Pub dry. Trini let out a small chuckle to herself before turning towards the Princess and Jason. 

“How did you guys get here?” she asked hoping they had some form of transportation to get themselves back to the castle. 

“We took one of the horses from the stable, but left it a while back so nobody would notice it in town,” Jason said and Trini shook her head. “How far?” 

“About three miles out.” Realizing the only option to get them back without being noticed would be to travel by horse she turned to look back at Zack and waited for the guards to head back inside. Once they did, she brought two fingers to her lips and whistled loud enough for him to hear. He dropped his act immediately and headed in their direction, not entirely sure where they were. Once he was close enough to them, Trini whispered his name and he picked up the pace before he made it in their presence. 

“You made it out!” he said patting Trini’s back once with a goofy smile on his face. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Thank you for getting us out of there without being noticed, but we can make it back from here,” Kimberly said and Trini scoffed. 

“You realize that this road is heavily traveled by guards at night, right? Walking back to your horse at this hour will get you caught in a matter of minutes.” 

“So, what would you suggest?” Kim challenged, her head tilting slightly to the side as she spoke. 

“There is a side road that is less traveled. It will take a little bit longer to get back to your horse, but there will be less of a chance of you getting caught.” Trini started. “It isn’t the safest path though so I would not recommend walking it.”

“Then how do you expect us to get back to our horse?”

“Zack and I have a pair of horses. We can take you back to at least where you left your horse. We have traveled that path many times before. It should be no issue so long as we do it quickly.” 

“You would expect us to trust the both of you when we don’t even know you?” Kim asked skeptically. 

“Listen Princess it does not matter to me whether you trust us or not, but at this point, I don’t see how you have any other option.” Trini snapped, taking Kim by surprise.

“She’s right Kim,” Jason said with a shrug annoying Kim further for agreeing with Trini. She sighed before mumbling out a frustrated, “Fine.”

Trini led them quickly to the side of the Pub where patrons left their horses making sure to keep an eye out for anyone staring for too long. She untied her horse as Zack did the same with his. Jason looked between the two of them, his brows laced with concern and contemplation. 

“Who is the more experienced fighter?” he finally asked and Zack chuckled before turning to him. 

“If you’re asking who the better fighter is out of us, I would tell you that I have beaten her by sword before. But that was after she matched me drink for drink at the Pub. You see she is so tiny her body quite simply could not keep up,” he chuckled as Trini smacked his arm hard. “Other than that, I have landed on my ass countless times on account of her sword,” he stated matter-of-factly, rubbing at his arm. Jason nodded before making his way over to Zack’s horse and mounting it behind him. 

“You want me to ride with her?” Kim asked incredulously and he nodded his head. She turned to Trini with a huff before taking her hand and climbing up behind her. 

“Don’t sound too enthusiastic Princess,” she teased before turning her attention towards the boys. “Zack you lead the way. We will be close behind. If something should happen make a break for it and we will meet at our usual spot,” she said and he nodded with understanding. Trini let Zack and Jason take a slight lead before kicking her heels back and leading her horse after them. After trotting off at a steady pace for a while, Zack slowed down to a walk so that they wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention. With this sudden change in pace, the Princess took the opportunity to break the silence.

“So, you knew who I was and still spoke your mind freely?” 

“Clearly you did not come to the Pub expecting to be treated like a Princess so why would I?” 

“You are brave to take such a stance.” 

“You may call it brave, but I don’t consider myself brave.” 

“What would you consider yourself?”

Trini paused contemplating her question. Nobody had ever asked her such a question and she didn’t know if she had an answer for her. 

“I don’t have time to consider myself. Time spent on such self-reflection is a privilege for the royal.” she finally answered. 

“Is that so? You think I sit in my room all day thinking about myself?” 

Trini did not respond with words, but she had never been good at steeling her face. The moment she finished speaking her eyebrows raised to confirm Kim’s suspicions, which definitely did not go unnoticed. 

“I am aware that many souls in this Kingdom live a hard and turbulent life filled with constant struggles. While I will never claim to live the hardest life the idea that royalty is free of hardship is hardly true.” 

“And what hardships have you faced?” The words left Trini’s lips before she even had time to consider them. She could tell that Kim was taken aback and that even though they had never met before tonight, a part of her was hurt.

“You obviously have your mind made up. What good would it do me to lament on my personal turmoil when your mind will not waiver?”

“I’ve heard stories of you.” Trini started noticing Kim’s body tense up slightly. “How the Princess of Astraea could charm anyone she came into contact with, man or woman. Her wit, charm, and beauty were unrivaled by anyone and she could have whomever and whatever she wanted.” 

“And what do these stories have to do with hardships?” 

“Common people can’t charm their way out of their struggles. You cannot charm poverty, hunger, and loss.” Before Kim could respond Trini kicked in her heels and trotted up to meet Zack’s horse who had stopped in front of a lone white horse. 

“Here’s our stop,” Trini said as Jason held a hand out to help Kimberly dismount. She ignored his hand and gracefully dismounted the horse before walking over to their own.

“Thank you,” she said glancing between Zack and Trini, her glance holding for a fraction longer when her eyes landed on Trini. “I don’t know what would have happened back there without the both of you,” she said with a small smile forming on her lips. 

“You’re welcome Princess,” Trini said, noticing the smile on Kim’s face quickly fade away. Kim turned away from them and mounted her horse, taking her spot behind Jason. And just like that, they were trotting off to return to the castle. 

“Weird night, huh crazy girl?” Zack chuckled turning his horse in the direction of town. 

“Yeah, weird night,” she agreed taking one last glance at the fading pair before turning to follow Zack.

It didn’t take very long before Trini and Zack were back in Angel Grove. As they made their way through the town a familiar face was the center of attention right outside the Pub. 

“Better times are coming! Just you wait,” Goldar yelled at the crowd that had gathered around him, eagerly watching him make a drunken fool of himself. Trini sighed to herself before dismounting her horse and making her way over to him, Zack trailing right behind her. 

“What are you on about Goldar,” she said snapping his attention to her. He shook his head taking a long gulp of his ale. 

“You’re not getting anything out of me,” he finished unable to contain the hiccup that escaped his mouth. Trini was frustrated but couldn’t stop her curiosity. She knew Goldar and there weren’t that many things that made him this happy. She and Zack had already squandered his opportunity at filling his pockets so it couldn’t be about money. 

“I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way,” she huffed, making a quick move to close the distance between them. Her movement startled Goldar and he fell to the ground holding his arms above his head in defense. 

“Alright everybody move along there is nothing to see here,” Zack yelled, but nobody budged hoping to get a good show. “Did someone say a free round of drinks?” Zack asked and the men frantically rushed for the door to the Pub. 

With it being just the three of them now, Trini knew she could get Goldar to talk. “Alright Goldar, spill whatever it is you’re so excited about.”

He looked at her with a smug smile, determined to stay silent and relish in the fact that he knew something that she didn’t. “What are you willing to do to find out?” 

“I’m willing to not beat the shit out of you and let you walk away.” 

“That’s not good enough,” he taunted, a cocky smile erupting across his face. 

“Oh, it isn’t?” Trini asked closing the distance and hoisting him up in the air by his collar. 

“Okay, okay!” he groaned. “Let me down and I’ll tell you.” Trini tossed him back to the ground waiting to hear his response. He stalled for a minute taking the time to sit up and brush some of the dirt off his pants. 

“Anytime now Goldar,” Trini said giving him a cautious look. 

He took the hint and finally spoke up. “This miserable Kingdom is coming to an end,” he started causing the hairs on the back of Trini’s neck to stand up. 

“What does that mean?” she said searching his face for any signs of deceit but finding none. 

“The Kingdom of Astraea will fall tonight. I’ve heard it myself. Assassins are making their way for the King now and anybody who tries to fight them will just end up dying themselves.”

Trini’s heart dropped and her stomach churned. As much as she wanted to believe that this was another one of Goldar’s tales, she saw in his eyes that he wasn’t lying. She stood up immediately scrambling back to her horse. 

“What are you doing?” Zack asked his eyes laced with concern. 

“I’m going to try and catch Jason and Kim. We need to warn them, Zack.”

“They could be at the castle by now Trini. If what he says is true, we can’t just go rushing back without a plan.”

“Alright, you want a plan? I’m going to ride my horse as fast as I can and hopefully, Jason and Kim haven’t reached the castle yet.”

“And if they have?”

“Then I will wing it just like I always do,” she said mounting her horse and turning towards the direction of the castle. “Listen Zack I’m not going to try and convince you to go. You can do what you want, but I can’t just let them walk into that without trying to warn them.”

“You know I’m coming with you crazy girl. I’m not letting you go alone,” he said mounting his own horse. 

“Zack, seriously you don’t have to go just because of some obligation you think you have to me.”

“We do this together just like we’ve done everything else,” he said gripping the reins of his horse and kicking his heels back effectively beginning the race towards the castle. Trini quickly followed suit catching up to Zack, her horse matching the rapid pace of his. 

“It’s too late anyway! You’re just going to get yourselves killed!” Goldar yelled after them watching them ride away.

“We’ll see about that,” Trini whispered to herself, kicking her heels back urging her horse to speed up. 

By the time they made it to the castle, there were no signs of Jason and Kim. The castle was in absolute disarray. Astraea guards were frantically running in every direction and lifeless bodies were scattered across the courtyard. Trini and Zack got off their horses, quickly tying them up to the nearby trees. They crouched next to the gate that was left wide open due to the panic. 

“So, what’s the plan now?” Zack whispered unnecessarily as the screaming and sounds of metal clashing permeated throughout the whole castle covering up any conversation that wasn’t nearby. 

Trini stalled for a moment, her heart racing as she looked at her surroundings. There was a group of dead Astraea guards who must have been guarding the gate that were scattered a few feet away. Trini crept across the entrance towards the group of bodies. 

“Take their armor,” she said motioning towards the bodies before ripping off the helmet from one of the smaller sized men. Zack followed her actions and soon enough they were both dressed in poorly fitted Astraea armor. Trini rushed past the gate hoping their disguise was good enough to get them past the sea of Astraea guards. Luckily nobody batted an eye at them as they were too focused on searching for the assassins to pay attention to people wearing the same armor as them. They made their way up to the main castle doors running past a group of guards fighting a couple of men in black armor. They searched frantically for any signs of Kimberly or Jason but found none. They ascended the grand stairs making their way up to the second floor of the castle. Trini took the lead, but they were both completely clueless. They had never been to the castle before and had no idea where they should be running to find Jason and Kim. They continued their search dodging people every which way before Zack caught a familiar glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye. 

“Jason!” he yelled seeing the boy in red backed up into a corner by two men in the same black armor as the men they saw on the first floor. Zack rushed towards Jason drawing his sword and slamming it across one of the men's back as he went to strike Jason. Trini hesitated before Zack called after her. “Go Trini! Find Kim,” he yelled, frantically clashing his sword against the sword of one of the men in black as it came straight for his heart. 

Trini continued her search for Kim running down the long hallways and immediately getting lost. This place was a labyrinth to her and she had no idea which direction to go. Just as her frustration was reaching its peak, she saw a woman she had never seen before round the corner at the end of the long corridor. She was slim and her body was draped with gold. She had a feral quality about her that was simply terrifying. Trini’s eyes drifted over to the woman’s golden claws and saw that one set was dripping with a thick crimson liquid. When she saw Trini staring, she locked her beady eyes on her and with an evil smirk pounded the ground with her ornate staff, disappearing right before Trini’s eyes as if her mind had made it all up. Trini ran down the hall trying to reach where the mysterious woman disappeared. In her haste, she had let her guard down and screeched to a halt when she noticed a man in black armor lunging towards her with his sword drawn. She instinctively reached for the sword at her hip, but it was too late. She braced for impact, but instead, she was met with the distinct sound of metal hitting metal. Trini looked over to see a determined Kimberly at her side, her sword drawn in front of her. Kim instantly lunged towards the man in black pushing him back away from Trini. Trini was shocked to see how talented Kimberly was with a sword in her hand. She was confident, quick, and graceful. Her motions looked effortless like she was simply playing with her opponent. She was clearly frustrating him with the ease in which she fought. He rushed at Kimberly in his aggravation, but she anticipated it and deflected his sword pushing him back as she did. He dropped his sword and fell awkwardly on the ground. Kimberly raised her arm slamming the hilt of her sword on his head with one swift move, leaving him incapacitated. Kimberly turned in Trini’s direction smirking as she caught her staring. 

“I told you I didn’t just sit in my room thinking about myself,” she quipped returning her sword to its sheath. 

Trini thought to respond but quickly stopped snapping back to reality and urging her way past Kimberly towards the place that she saw that terrible looking woman. Kim didn’t have time to ask questions and followed after matching her rushed pace. Before Trini even turned the corner, she could smell the overwhelmingly pungent scent of iron that only a fresh kill could produce. It filled her nostrils, causing her stomach to churn at the intrusion it caused to her senses. Kimberly turned around the corner first, gasping loudly before dropping to her knees in a disheveled heap. As Trini turned the corner she was met with a horribly graphic scene. A lavishly dressed man was lying still on the ground surrounded by a pool of thick, crimson blood. The source of which was streaming from a large, grisly slit across his neck. His dark brown lifeless eyes were plastered open and his mouth hung low. Even though she had never seen him before, his eyes were familiar for the simple fact that she had seen them before on another. They were the same eyes that she had saw for the first time earlier tonight. The same eyes that were currently soaked with fresh tears. They were the Princess’s eyes and that could mean only one thing. The Kingdom of Astraea had lost its King.


	2. The Boy in Blue

Trini’s heart stopped at the realization. If the King was dead, Kimberly was not safe here. Her instincts took over as she quickly made her way over to Kimberly, who was still in a pile on the floor. She paused for a second before tentatively reaching forward to grab Kimberly’s arm. Kimberly shook her hand off, inching away from her as she did. 

“Princess,” Trini breathed. “We need to go, it isn’t safe.”

“I’m not leaving him,” she choked out, her tear-filled gaze locked onto her father’s lifeless body. 

“Kimberly, he’s gone,” Trini whispered. “I’m sorry, but you aren’t safe here,” she said, carefully inching her way closer to Kimberly. This time Kimberly stayed put. As Trini’s hand made contact with her arm, she tensed but allowed Trini to help her up. Her body felt heavy, almost foreign. She staggered as she tried to stand but was quickly stabilized by a steady arm around her waist. Trini turned them around, leading them towards the exit, but Kim stopped her just as they made it to the door. Trini turned her head in Kim’s direction only to meet her sad brown eyes with her own. 

“I need to say goodbye,” Kim said. Trini nodded allowing Kimberly to pull away from her and slowly make her way towards her father. She held two fingers up to his face, closing his eyes as she brought them down. She knelt down, placing a lingering kiss to his forehead, before whispering something so quietly to him that Trini could not distinguish it. The act was so intimate that Trini felt as though she was intruding just by being in the same room. Just as Trini had considered averting her gaze, Kimberly turned back towards her, but something within her had changed. The sadness that Trini had seen pouring out of her was replaced with an unnerving coldness. She made her way back over to Trini and without a word made her way out past the small pool of blood in the hallway. Trini followed after her, catching up quickly to follow her lead. As much as she wanted to lead them out, she had no idea where to start in this labyrinth of a castle. They made their way through the corridors past the scurrying Astraea guards. As they rounded one of the corners, they were met with a group of four men in that familiar black armor that they had fought before. Without a second of hesitation, Kimberly unsheathed her sword and swung at the first one she came in contact with. Trini followed suit taking on two men of her own, but she couldn’t help but notice the difference in Kimberly’s fighting. The patient, confident, and poised Kimberly she had witnessed earlier tonight was a stark contrast from the rushed, aggressive one she was seeing now. They fought side by side until all four of the men were lying on the floor leaving the two girls breathless. The sound of running footsteps coming from behind them grabbed Trini’s attention as she spun around, her sword held out in front of her ready to fight again. She dropped her sword to her side as she saw Zack and Jason running towards them, blood splattered across their clothes. Jason engulfed Kimberly in a hug just as Zack did the same with Trini. 

“Are you okay?” Trini asked as they broke apart, seeing the torn clothing on Zack’s right shoulder soaked with blood. 

“Yeah, it’s just a cut. Nothing I haven’t survived before. What about you guys?” he asked looking between Kimberly and Trini. 

“We’re as good as we can be,” Trini answered as Kimberly remained stoic. 

The sound of more running stopped the conversation short as a tall, commanding man came running towards them with a group of Astraea guards behind him. As he reached the group, he stopped abruptly before focusing his attention on Jason. 

“Jason, thank god you’re okay,” the man said grabbing Jason in a quick but strong hug. “You have to take Kimberly and get out of here. It isn’t safe in this castle. Do not trust anyone, you hear me?” He finished breaking away from the hug and grabbing Jason firmly by his shoulders. 

“But Dad, what about Mom and Pearl?” 

“They are okay. Trust me I will keep them safe, but I need you to keep her safe. Our Kingdom depends on it.”

“I can’t just leave you guys here,” Jason said shaking his head. 

“You can and you must,” he said removing his hands from Jason’s shoulders. “Now go!”

A single tear rolled down Jason’s cheek as he grabbed Kimberly’s hand and led her away from his father. Zack and Trini followed after them as they made their way towards a side staircase that the pair hadn’t seen on their way in. They ran down the stairs and out the door following the path to the stables. 

“Where are your horses?” Jason asked adverting his attention to Trini and Zack. 

“We left them close to the main castle entrance,” Zack replied.

“Okay run that way it isn’t that far from here,” he said pointing to the left of Trini and Zack. “We will meet up with you guys there, but hurry,” he finished before turning away and running into the stables with Kimberly in tow. Zack and Trini ran in the direction he pointed to, seeing the familiar gate from earlier tonight come into view. As they ran away, Jason quickly moved to tack his horse, swiftly getting on the saddle and holding his hand out to help Kimberly up behind him. By the time Zack and Trini had made it to their horses and took off the little armor they were wearing, Jason and Kim were only a few seconds behind them. They mounted their horses as Jason and Kimberly sped past them. The pair dug in their heels, urging their horses to catch up to Jason’s rapid speed. The four of them continued to ride, their horses galloping as fast as they could for as long as possible until they inevitably slowed down to a steady trot. After what felt like hours, they approached a town similar in size to Angel Grove. Trini recognized it immediately from her past endeavors as Briarwood, which was about fifteen miles south of Astraea. 

“Guys we need to stop and get supplies,” Trini spoke, bringing her horse to a slow stop. Zack followed suit pulling the reins on his horse and halting it next to Trini’s. 

“Like hell we are stopping,” Jason said roughly. “We need to keep moving.”

“We have no idea how long it will be until we reach another town Jason. We need to stop now before we don’t have another opportunity,” Trini urged, trying to get Jason to consider her perspective. 

“I don’t care, we need to keep moving,” Jason answered harshly.

“Moving for what? We’ll die if we don’t get what we need now,” Zack grunted, defending Trini. Jason’s body tensed as he opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he felt Kimberly’s hand calmy lay on his shoulder.

“Stop J, they’re right,” she said before slipping off of their horse. Jason grumbled before sliding off himself. Trini and Zack did the same as they led their horses over towards where a few others were secured near some of the stores in town. They tied their horses up before making their way into the nearest store. 

“How much do you guys have?” Zack asked looking at Kimberly and Jason.

“Nothing. I left what we had at the Pub in Angel Grove and was a little too preoccupied at the castle to think of grabbing anything,” Jason huffed clearly frustrated. 

Zack turned to look at Kimberly, who shook her head sadly. “Alright well I guess this is all we have,” he said holding out the small pouch he had in his pocket. They made their way through the store grabbing a few necessary supplies, including blankets, warmer clothes, a couple of canteens, and a fire striker. Before returning to their horses, they went to the baker next door to spend the rest of what they had on a small amount of food that would suffice for one meal for the four of them. They piled on their supplies to the back of Trini and Zack’s horses before taking off at a trot to go further south. 

After a few more solid hours of travel, the group finally settled down in a secluded area deep in the woods. After tying up the horses, Trini immediately made her way into the woods to grab wood for the fire, desperate for a moment to herself. After a couple trips back to their camp, she stopped to sit on a fallen log that was just far enough out that nobody would bother her. She grabbed at her knees, her nails digging in as she tried to steady her shaky hands. She could feel her chest tighten and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. She tried to focus and take a few deep breaths, but she was losing her control. So many thoughts started running through her head that she was completely overwhelmed. What did she get herself into? What did she get Zack into? Running away with a Princess could be cause enough for execution, or at best imprisonment. After what felt like hours, her hands and breathing steadied. 

“Trini?” Zack called from a distance. Her head snapped in his direction as she saw him getting dangerously close to where she was. She quickly wiped at her eyes, trying to hide her moment of weakness. She stood up just as he had caught a glimpse of her. 

“Coming!” she called back picking up the few scrap pieces of wood that she had gathered before. She made her way over to where Zack was waiting for her. He searched her face, his own eyes laced with concern, but he said nothing. He knew better than to say anything so instead he wrapped his arm over her shoulder as they walked back to their camp. By the time they got back everything was already set up and waiting for them. Kimberly and Jason were sitting on a couple of logs right in front of the crackling fire eating their ration of the small portion of bread they had bought earlier. She and Zack broke apart, taking their own portions of bread, finding their seats in front of the fire, and settling into the uncomfortable silence around them. 

It didn’t take long before Kimberly curled up in her blanket turning to face away from the group. The silence was soon broken as all that could be heard was the quiet, muffled sounds of Kimberly’s uncontrollable sobs. Trini felt her gut wrench at the sounds coming from Kimberly. She couldn’t quite understand why it was affecting her so much when she didn’t even know her. Sure, she had talked to her and heard stories of the Princess, but she didn’t know the real Kimberly. Yet, for some reason, her heart ached for her all the same. The most unbearable part of all is that Trini knew there was nothing that she could do to help her. 

“What are we even doing?” Trini finally spoke. Jason shrugged, his own eyes red and puffy from the day’s emotions. “We don’t even know what we are running from or where we are running to.” 

“It doesn’t matter. We just need to get as far away from that castle as possible,” Jason said.

“And when does that stop? How long are we going to be running?” 

“Until we are safe. Until Kimberly is safe,” Jason finished glancing over in Kimberly’s direction. 

“That could be forever, Jason,” Trini murmured. He didn’t respond, he only sighed before standing up and making his way over to Kim. He laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back closer against his chest. After a few more minutes of hearing Kim’s quiet sobs, they ceased altogether, replaced with an unsettling silence. Zack was the next to fall asleep, leaving Trini alone briefly before her eyes became too heavy for her to fight anymore. She finally gave in to the day’s exhaustion and drifted off to sleep. 

In the morning, the four of them packed up their campsite in silence, loading up the horses before taking off and beginning another day of travel. At this point Trini had no idea where they were and it was starting to nag at her in the back of her mind. Trini was always prepared for anything that she did back in Astraea. She was comfortable being prepared. It terrified her to know that she could possibly be caught off guard by whatever they could be walking into blindly. As terrified as she was, she kept her worries to herself, surveying her surroundings like a seasoned hunter. They traveled for a few more days and continued their mundane routine of setting up camp and having light conversation, except for Kimberly, who hadn’t said a word since leaving Astraea. Instead, Kimberly had habitually cried herself to sleep, almost always within the first few minutes of them setting up camp. 

Tonight, however, the routine was broken. After a few light conversations, Zack and Jason fell asleep, leaving Trini and Kimberly by the fire alone. Trini glanced in Kimberly’s direction, studying her face to try and pick up on what was running through her head. Kimberly showed nothing but bloodshot eyes, her face and body stoic. Trini turned, focusing her attention on the crackling fire in front of her. 

“So,” Trini started timidly, glancing in Kim’s direction before continuing. “Why would a Princess need to learn how to fight as well as you do?” Kim’s head turned in her direction. 

“You’re kidding right?” She asked quietly, her throat hoarse from the days of silence. It was clear from the look on Trini’s face that she wasn’t, so she continued. “If there is one thing the Royals love it's retaining power and, in this world, to do that you have to fight for it. I have been training for as long as I could hold a sword, preparing for The Reckoning.”

“Is that what you want? To fight and become queen?” Trini asked. 

“Doesn’t much matter what I want now does it?” Kimberly asked, her voice slowly getting stronger. 

“Why wouldn’t it?” 

“The fate of our Kingdom lies within my hands and while I could take a chance and hope that whoever challenges and wins would be a decent ruler, I cannot take the chance that they could be cruel and lead us into another dark age,” she said and Trini nodded in understanding. “I told you royalty came with hardships,” she chuckled solemnly. Trini hadn’t heard her laugh since they met that day in the Pub. She hadn’t realized that she had actually missed hearing the Princess laugh, even if it was laced with sorrow. 

“So, what now?” Trini asked.

“Now I suppose it’s my time to represent my Kingdom.” The two sat in silence for a few more moments before Trini suddenly felt Kim’s eyes burning through her. She turned to look in her direction, noticing her eyes furrowed as if she was contemplating something. 

“Is something wrong?” Trini asked breaking the silence. 

“Can I ask you something?” Kimberly responded, seemingly more confident now that Trini had broken the silence first. Trini nodded and Kimberly continued. 

“Why did you come back to the castle?” 

“I heard that someone was going to try and murder the King, your father,” she started solemnly. “I couldn’t just let you and Jason walk into that without trying to warn you.” 

Kim sighed wiping away the lone tear that had trickled down her cheek. “I thought you weren’t brave?” she said the smallest smile briefly forming on her lips. It was so small that Trini barely noticed it, but just as soon as she did it quickly vanished. Kim shifted her body wrapping her arms around her legs and turned to face away from Trini. 

“I lost my father too,” Trini started. Kim turned her head to look in Trini’s direction but kept her arms wrapped around herself. “It was the hardest time of my life.”

“Does it get any easier?”

“Yes…and no,” Trini answered, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. “The agony starts to fade away, but it's painfully slow. But then you start to forget certain things about them and that sometimes hurts more. You start to lose their scent. Their voice becomes a distant memory and it's aggravating because how could you forget all of these important things about someone you loved so much. That’s when the guilt takes over and you start thinking of all the moments you took for granted and how if you could just have one more minute with them, even a second, you’d never take another moment for granted again. And then one day, you slowly start living your life again. It doesn’t happen all at once, and really you don’t even notice it, but one day you’ll start eating properly again. The next day, you’ll start to joke around with your friends again. And before you know it, you’re living your life almost exactly like you used to. But you’ll never forget and there won’t be a day that goes by that you don’t think about them,” she paused, noticing Kimberly’s attentive gaze. “At least not in my experience.”

“What about your mom?” 

“I never knew her. It was just my Dad and I growing up. Of course, there was always Zack. I’ve known him since I was 6 years old. But as far as blood, my Dad was all I had.”

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“When I was thirteen, it was the first year I was allowed to participate in this big sword fighting competition they held annually in Angel Grove. My Dad had been helping me prepare for it and I was the only girl to enter the contest in a decade. I ended up winning and I was so excited to celebrate with my Dad, but he wasn’t there. I figured he had gotten held up at work so I grabbed my trophy and ran off to show him. I remember running through the door of our house and seeing him on the ground, completely lifeless. I don’t remember much after that. I honestly think I blacked out.” Trini finished, her own tears silently streaming down her cheeks. Kimberly nodded sympathetically in understanding. “Zack and his mom took me in after that, and they became my family. Then a few years after that she passed away. Zack and I have been on our own ever since.”

“I never knew my mother either. She died after giving birth to me. My father was so heartbroken that he never found another partner. It’s always been just me and him. Well, it had been,” she sighed. 

“Who would have thought we’d have so much in common,” Trini replied, pulling her blanket over her body to combat the sudden chill in the air as the fire was now barely a smoldering pile of ash. 

“In this case, I wish we didn’t,” Kim answered sadly, covering herself in her own blanket as she moved to lay down. Trini followed suit, resting her head against some of her scrunched-up clothing before giving in to her exhaustion and letting the night fade away. 

The next morning, the group set off like they usually did but stopped about an hour into their travels when they arrived at a little shack in the middle of the woods. 

“Do you think we should see who’s there?” Jason asked and Trini shrugged her shoulders. 

“At this point, if we don’t get any food soon, we are going to die out here anyway,” she said and the others hummed their agreement. They apprehensively began to walk towards the shack, looking for signs of immediate danger, but there were none. Trini made the first move and knocked on the door, quickly taking a step back as the door swung open not a second later. 

“Oh, hello!” a man answered excitedly but caught off guard. He was thin and tall with dark skin and short black hair. His eyes were kind and their hue was a dark shade of brown. His blue shirt was slightly tattered and it was clear that he was not a man of means, but he still seemed overwhelmingly exuberant. All of the fear in Trini’s body left in a matter of seconds, replaced with a tranquil warmth. “I wasn’t expecting company, where are my manners. My name is Billy. Billy Cranston to be exact,” he rambled holding out his hand to Trini. She stared at him for a moment before extending her own to meet his. 

“Trini Gomez,” she said simply as he shook her hand vigorously. The others did the same and by the end of their introductions, Billy was beaming. Trini had never seen anyone so happy in her entire life. 

“So, what brings you here?” he asked his smile fading suddenly. “You aren’t here for the explosion, are you? I thought I was far enough away that nobody would notice if anything went wrong,” he finished, his eyes going wide at the thought of being caught. “I knew I should have waited. What are you guys going to do with me?” he asked nervously, his shoulders slumping and his joyous charm fading away instantly. 

“Um, we don’t know anything about an explosion,” Zack said quickly trying to calm Billy down. “We’ve just been traveling for a while now through these woods and happened upon your place,” he finished and Billy’s demeanor instantly perked back up. 

“Oh, well that’s great! We haven’t had visitors in years!” 

“We?” Kim asked raising an eyebrow. 

“Oh, of course, come inside!” he said grabbing her hand and leading her in as the rest of the group quickly followed. “Mom we have visitors!” he yelled letting go of Kimberly’s hand and running into another room before dragging out a perplexed-looking woman. She was much older than him but looked just as kind as he did. However, her guard was much higher than Billy’s and she did not look as excited at the idea of having four strangers in her home as her son did. “Mom, this is Trini Gomez, Zack Taylor, Jason Scott, and Kimberly Hart,” he said motioning to each of us as he said our names. Her eyes went wide when she heard the last name and Trini instinctively moved her hand to clutch the dagger on her side. 

“Kimberly Hart?” she asked and Kimberly visibly tensed. “As in Princess Kimberly Hart?” she clarified and before Kimberly could answer, Billy cut her off. 

“You're a Princess?” he asked thrilled at the notion that he had met a princess.

“And if I were?” she asked timidly, looking in his mother’s direction. She hesitated before responding, sensing Kimberly’s fear. 

“You have no reason to fear us, Princess. It’s just not every day that a princess comes walking into a peasant’s home,” she finished and Trini released the breath she had been holding, the hand hovering around her dagger dropping to her side. “You are a long way from home. What brings a princess to these woods?” she asked cautiously.

“There was some trouble back in my Kingdom and the only decision it left me was to flee,” Kimberly said trying to hinder her face from showing any emotion, but anyone paying close enough attention noticed her lips dropped slightly as she spoke.

“I see. My apologies, but we don’t have much to offer you here,” the woman said sadly. 

“That’s okay, we can be on our way,” Trini said quickly realizing that they were imposing themselves on people who barely had enough means for themselves. Trini knew better than anyone else how hard it was to live life day by day. Billy’s face fell instantly and she couldn’t help but immediately feel remorse.

“Please at the very least take a little food to help you on your journey. We don’t have much, but we can spare a little. Billy go get some of our rations from the cupboard,” Billy’s mom finished sending Billy on his way. He returned with a small sack filled with food and handed it over to Trini. 

“Thank you, truly this is very kind of you,” Trini said to the both of them, gratefully taking the bag from Billy’s outstretched hand. She glanced at his eyes and something seemed to click in his head as his mood seemed to perk up ever so slightly. He rushed back to his mom and Trini took it as a sign to leave. The four of them left the house, closing the door behind them as they made their way to continue their journey through the woods. Not a minute later, Billy came running towards them with a bag of his own. 

“You’ve already given us more than enough,” Trini started when he reached them, trying to catch his breath. He looked at her confused before it dawned on him what she was implying. 

“Oh, this is for me,” he said pointing to the bag. The four of them looked between each other, displaying their confusion before Jason broke the silence. 

“Sorry Billy, I don’t think we follow you.” 

“I’m coming with you guys,” he said a smile erupting across his face. 

“Why?” Trini asked completely confused at this point. 

“Because it’s my destiny,” he said simply. Trini looked at the others who looked just as confused as she did. 

“Can you please explain?” Trini asked hoping he would have a legitimate answer. 

“When I was much younger, years before my father died, he would tell me stories to help calm me down. You see I used to be a very hyper person,” he said matter-of-factly. 

“Used to be?” Zack whispered, resulting in a hard elbow to his side from Trini. 

“My favorite story of his was about these five brave travelers who came from different walks of life. These five travelers met under abnormal circumstances and came together to do extraordinary things. But the best part of the story was that they discovered the most important relics of the seven kingdoms,” he said excitedly. 

“Relics?” Trini asked, her curiosity peaking. 

“Mmhm, they are called power coins and each traveler was destined for one,” he finished. 

“But that’s just a story Billy,” Jason said. 

“My father told me that one day destiny would come knocking and then the four of you showed up and knocked on my door,” he said. 

“Billy, I don’t think that’s what he meant,” Jason said trying not to disappoint him. 

“Sure it is. And even if it isn’t what do I have to lose?” 

“Billy we are on the run. This isn’t some friendly adventure, this is dangerous.” Trini cautioned trying not to crush the eager boy’s hopes. 

“My father was a brave man. He always told me about his adventures and I always wanted to be like him. When he died, I was too afraid to follow in his footsteps for fear of meeting the same fate, but I’m tired of hiding,” he said seriously. Trini looked at him for a long moment before sighing. 

“Okay, you can come,” she murmured, unable to stop her own smile from forming when she saw his infectious smile light up his face. With that, the five of them set off on their way with Billy taking his place behind Trini on her horse. 

“So Billy, would you mind telling us the story of the five brave travelers?” she asked indulging in her curiosity to help pass the time. 

Billy turned to face her, beaming as he started off his story. “So, according to my father, these lands used to idolize a group of warriors that used mystic powers from what became known as power coins. The warriors fought evil throughout the land, trying to keep the peace with all seven kingdoms. The kicker is that the armor they wore completely covered their identity so nobody ever knew who they really were. One day, one of the warriors became power hungry and turned on his fellow warriors. He murdered one of them and soon after that the rest just disappeared. Some people think that he murdered all of them. Others think that the rest went into hiding in order to figure out a way to stop him, but nobody knows for sure. Anyways soon after that the peace between the Kingdoms ceased and that’s when war started to break out between all of them. People hoped and prayed for the return of the warriors, but they never returned. Legend has it that each of their power coins was scattered across the Kingdoms protected by a descendant of the original warriors. These power coins were passed down from generation to generation, waiting for someone worthy enough to wield its power. My dad always told me that the man who told him this tale had speculated that one day when the world was in true danger, five unlikely travelers would find their paths crossing in odd circumstances. In their journeys they would make their way back to the power coins as the rightful heirs.”

“You said this happened centuries ago, right?” Trini questioned, her mind sparking with interest at the thought. 

“Yeah? According to the legends,” Billy answered his brow quirking as he saw Trini deep in thought.

“That seems to match up with the timeline of the First Reckoning,” she started and the others hummed in agreement. “I mean that would make sense, wars breaking out right as the power coins were lost. That was the point of the Reckoning after all,” she mused as Billy’s face scrunched up in confusion. 

“What’s The Reckoning?” Billy asked and the rest of the group stared at him in awe. 

“You’re kidding right?” Trini asked incredulously. He shook his head and Kimberly spoke up. 

“You’ve never heard of The Reckoning? The event that happens every four years and decides which Kingdom will reign supreme?” Billy’s face still exuded confusion so Kimberly continued. “For centuries, the seven kingdoms have partaken in an event called The Reckoning to preserve peace across the lands. Each Kingdom that chooses to participate sends its King or Queen to battle it out to the death. Of course, the King or Queen can also select someone from their Kingdom to represent them instead if they so choose. The last man or woman standing reigns supreme as well as their respective Kingdom for four years until the next Reckoning.” 

“I’ve never heard of it,” Billy answered pausing for a moment. “I really haven’t left home that much and when I did, I was very young and I was traveling with my father. My mother tries to protect me so we don’t talk much about matters of the Kingdoms.”

“That must be nice, not being involved with the politics of it all,” Trini said. “I wish I had grown up oblivious to it all.” 

“I love my mother and father, but being isolated like that was…” he trailed his brows furrowing as he tried to find the right word. 

“Lonely?” Kimberly finished and he nodded his head in agreement. “I know what you mean,” she murmured looking down at her feet.

An awkward silence fell upon the group before Trini finally spoke up. 

“So, let’s just say that this is possible. Where would we even start?” 

“There are seven kingdoms. It’s not like we can go back to Astraea and we sure as hell are not going to go to Mammon. So, there are five left. Which one is the closest?” Zach asked looking between the other four. 

“The Kingdom of Raijin,” Kimberly answered plainly. 

“How do you know?” Trini asked. 

“Trust me. I have done a lot of studying when it comes to the seven Kingdoms, especially in regards to the geography.” 

“So, let’s go then,” Zach said eagerly. 

“Why? You guys don’t seriously think this is real, do you?” Jason asked incredulously.

“Why not? You said it yourself, we aren’t running towards anything, we are just running away from Astraea. Why not indulge in some mystery while we’re at it?” Trini replied. 

“Because we could be walking into anything. We have no idea how dangerous it could be.” 

“Oh come on, where’s your sense of adventure. Besides, it can’t get more dangerous than being on the run from your own Kingdom and not even knowing who you’re running from.” Zach quipped. 

“He makes a fair point J,” Kimberly piped in and Jason huffed in reply, knowing he wouldn’t win this argument.

“Alright fine, we’ll go to Raijin. But when this ends up being a bust, we stop this fantasy there.” Jason grumbled.

“Alright sure thing boss,” Trini teased before being interrupted by what could only be described as a squeal from Billy. 

“Guys, I can’t believe we are going to a Kingdom! Wait until I tell my mom about this,” Billy said excitedly. “Wait, I can’t tell my mom about this she would freak out. What if she finds out? What am I going to say to her?”

“Relax Billy, your mom isn’t here and she’s not going to find out,” Jason said trying to ease his mind. 

“Right, right,” he said his voice relaxing. “I’m just so excited I’ve never seen a Kingdom before. A real Kingdom!” Billy hollered, clapping his hands together in quick succession. 

The other four couldn’t help but laugh at Billy’s excitement. His enthusiasm was incredibly endearing and it brought levity to what had been a very grave situation for the four of them. For the first time in a long time, Trini was actually excited for the potential prospects of her future. She finally had a mission and if there was one thing Trini was good at, it was accomplishing missions. After all what else could go wrong?


	3. Kingdom of Raijin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance if there are more typos and mistakes in this chapter than usual. I've been pretty busy and have not had the time to edit this as I would usually like, but I wanted to get this posted since I won't have the time to properly edit in the next few days anyway. Fingers crossed it's relatively okay. Thank you so much for reading, hope you enjoy it!

After five long monotonous days of travel, the group started to see a change in their environment hinting that they were getting close to their destination. The dark oak forests filled with lush green trees started to fade away as the rich dirt started to turn more and more into sand and the temperature became more uncomfortably hot the farther they traveled. Soon enough the five were entering a vast desert filled with nothing but sand and cacti. 

“Is it too late to turn back?” Trini grumbled halting her horse next to the others.

“Oh come on where’s your sense of adventure?” Jason mocked, laughing as Trini shed her jacket. 

“Very funny Jason,” she replied. “I didn’t sign up to get sand in my boots and die from the desert heat.”

“What did you think would happen when we said we were traveling to Raijin? It’s a desert kingdom after all,” Kimberly replied and Trini’s head turned sharply in her direction.

“You didn’t tell me that before we left!” Trini yelled. 

“Would it have made a difference?” Zack asked.

“Maybe…” she trailed. “I may have taken Jason’s side if I had known all of the facts.”

“It’s not too late,” Jason chuckled as the rest of the group waited for her to answer.

She contemplated for a moment before sighing loudly and urging her horse forward. “Come on let’s go. I wouldn’t want to disappoint Billy from seeing his first Kingdom,” she groaned, her smile returning when she felt Billy bounce from excitement behind her. After a few more hours of travel the sun had started to dip dangerously low, which meant that they would have to set up camp for the night soon. 

“Is that it?” Billy shouted, pointing up ahead at the blurry outline of some buildings up ahead. 

Kimberly squinted her eyes to try and make out the skyline ahead of her before a smile erupted across her face. “That’s the one and only Raijin,” she replied laughing at how happy Billy was. 

“We’re only a couple hours away,” Jason replied. 

“Yes, but it’s getting dark, we need to start setting up camp or we are going to get caught in the dark,” Trini answered halting her horse and hopping off. The rest of the group followed suit, breaking off into their familiar routine before soon enough a fire was going just as the sun had finally set. The five sat in silence around the fire, bundling up as the warmth from the scorching sun had vanished, replaced with an icy chill of the desert night. 

“So, since we are actually stuck together now. Well with the exception of you Billy,” Zack started nodding towards Billy. “Are we going to keep traveling and talking pleasantries or are we actually going to try and get to know each other?”

“What’s there to get to know?” Jason asked, keeping his focus on the fire in front of him. 

“I don’t know. What’s your life like, what are you scared of, anything,” Zack answered. 

“Do you really think its necessary?” Jason said simply. 

“Come on guys. We’re friends right?” Billy questioned, his face hopeful as he looked around at the rest of the group.

“Are we?” Trini replied, regretting her words when she saw the look of disappointment on Billy’s face. 

“We could be if people would actually open up,” Zack replied. 

“I don’t hear you spilling any secrets,” Jason challenged, his attention breaking away from the fire as he turned to face Zack. 

“Alright. I’m not scared I’ll start it off,” Zack responded, running a nervous hand through his messy hair. “I miss my mom every single day,” he paused, the rest of the group silent as they waited for him to continue. “She was my whole world and I still don’t feel like I’ve figured out what my life can be without her. To be honest I feel like I’ve just been going through the motions day by day trying to make it through. And the thing that eats at me the most is that I know she would be disappointed with where I’m at in life,” he sighed dipping his head down and staring at his feet. 

“You’ve never told me that before Zack,” Trini whispered. He gave a sad smile before continuing. 

“Yeah well, I said we should get to know each other and I guess I’ve been trying to hide some stuff from even myself.”

“Well it’s not true Zack,” Trini said moving closer and wrapping an arm around his shoulder for comfort. “Your mom would be proud of the person you are, I know it.”

“Thanks,” he said with a small smile. “Who’s next?” he said looking at the other four around him. 

“I’ll go,” Billy said excitedly standing up. “I’ve never had friends. Being with you guys is the best thing that’s happened to me probably my whole life. I love my Mom, but my Dad was also my best friend. Since he passed, I’ve been living my life in his shadow, trying to visit the same places we used to spend all of our time together. I don’t know I guess I was trying to still be close to him somehow in the only way I could. But I don’t miss him as much being with you guys. Being with you guys is just as good,” he finished, the group smiling as he sat back down in front of the fire. There was an awkward pause as the group turned their attention towards Jason. 

“Uh I don’t really know what to say after that,” Jason started. “Mine is going to sound so trivial compared to that.”

“It doesn’t have to be life changing,” Zack laughed. “It can be anything.”

“Okay well I guess I feel a little lost too,” he replied. “My Dad, he means well, but he has this vision for my future that I don’t know if I really want. He’s always expected me to take over for him as the Captain of the Astraea guard. I just can’t see myself leading an army.”

“What do you see yourself doing?” Trini asked curiously.

“I don’t really know for sure. I guess I haven’t really thought of a future other than that. Just kind of figured it was inevitable.”

Once Jason finished, the group turned their attention towards Kimberly, who was the next one up in the circle. 

“Not tonight, skip me,” she stammered, shaking her head and staring at the fire, avoiding the rest of the group’s gaze. 

“Alright well I guess I’m up then,” Trini sighed her attention lingering on Kimberly for a moment before she addressed the group. “This…” she started pointing around at the group around her, “is all really new to me and to be honest it terrifies me. I’ve always depended on myself, even growing up with Zack I’ve always felt like I had to do things for myself.”

“You know I’d always be there for you,” Zack said sadly, his face serious. 

“I know that, and trust me you’re the best friend I could ever have in my life. You’re my family Zack,” she stopped clapping her hand on Zack’s back before continuing. “But losing my Dad so young, I’ve always had this feeling like I shouldn’t get close to anyone else because I’d lose them too. Honestly, if I hadn’t known you before he died, I don’t think I would have let myself get close to you either Zack. I just don’t want to let myself get close to anyone and allow myself to be vulnerable to that kind of pain again. But being with you guys lately is the most I’ve allowed myself to get close to anyone in a really long time. As much as it scares me, it has been kind of nice.” The group hummed in response, seemingly acknowledging the unspoken bond they had built inadvertently. 

“Does this make us friends?” Billy asked, a small glimmer in his eyes.

“I’d say so Billy,” Zack laughed. “What about you three?”

“Definitely friends,” Trini said simply and the other two nodded in agreement. 

“Wait until I tell my mom I made four new friends,” Billy beamed. Trini couldn’t help but allow herself to feel content for the first time in years. She hadn’t realized what she was depriving herself from, but being here with these four made her feel whole again. The group chatted about their lives a little more lightly before the exhaustion had started to settle in for them. One by one the group started to settle down and fall asleep. Starting with Billy, then Zack, and finally Jason leaving only Trini and Kimberly left awake in front of the fire. They sat in silence, both feeling the drowsy pull of their exhaustion. The silence was broken by a loud crash in the sky, making Trini jump. The sudden adrenaline woke her up and the crash was soon followed by a beautiful streak of light shooting down from the sky out in the distance.

“Wow, I can’t believe we are actually getting a chance to see a dry thunderstorm, and the boys are still sleeping,” Kimberly chuckled glancing over at Trini. 

“Dry thunderstorm?” she asked and Kimberly nodded, turning her attention towards the clear sky being lit up with streaks of lightning. 

“It’s rare as it usually only happens in the desert. Who would have thought we would get lucky enough to see it while we are visiting?”

“Lucky? We are in the middle of the desert with no shelter and you’re saying a thunderstorm is lucky?” Trini scoffed.

“Relax Trini. It’s not even remotely close to us,” she laughed noticing the hesitation on Trini’s face. “And here I was thinking you were a badass.”

“You thought I was a badass?” Trini gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at Kim.

“Yeah, but after seeing how scared you got from a little thunderstorm I don’t know,” she trailed, a smirk forming on her lips. 

“I’m not scared…” Trini stammered, trying desperately to protect her image. 

“Oh there is no way that you’re getting out of that one.”

“Okay! We are talking about a thunderstorm, sorry if I get a little flustered when dealing with the wrath of mother nature.” Kimberly laughed leaning back and lying flat on the ground, placing an arm behind her head as she stared at the night sky. Trini followed suit, resting her head on the bag of supplies they carried with them.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Kimberly whispered, her attention focused on the sky above her. 

“Yeah, it is,” Trini responded, glancing in Kimberly’s direction. They stayed like that for a while in comfortable silence, enjoying the simple beauty of the passing storm. As it started to dissipate, Kimberly turned her attention towards Trini. 

“So… you and Zack are really close,” she started and Trini turned to face her. 

“Yeah?” Trini questioned, her brows furrowing in confusion. 

“You guys have never…” she stammered, pausing to try and find the right words. Trini realized what she was implying and almost choked from her laughter.

“Zack wishes,” she said between laughs. “Why do you ask?” 

“I don’t know, you just seemed really close,” she answered, her face turning a slight shade of red. 

“He’s like my brother, besides even if he wasn’t there would be no chance.”

“Why’s that?”

“Let’s just say he isn’t my type,” Trini replied simply. 

“Oh, okay,” Kim answered, unsure of how else to respond. After an uncomfortable pause, Trini turned back towards Kim.

“What about you Princess? You must have a lot of guys to choose from,” she started noticing Kim’s light demeanor steel quickly.

“Not really,” she replied coldly, her head turning to face away from Trini.

“Oh, come on, you must have some suitors you’re interested in,” Trini prodded, sitting up to better face her. 

“I don’t.”

“Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” Trini asked frantically, her heart dropping as she saw how cold Kimberly was suddenly being. It reminded her of the Kimberly she saw back at the castle. Kimberly shook her head and sighed sitting up herself. The two sat facing each other, Trini waiting for Kimberly to say something, anything. 

“Give me your dagger,” Kim finally said holding her hand out towards Trini. 

“Why?” Trini asked confused as she moved her hand to clutch at the dagger on her side.

“Just give it to me,” she urged and Trini complied, pulling the dagger out and handing it over to her. Kim raised the dagger towards her throat and Trini made a move to stop her, halting herself when she saw her reach for her hair. With one swift motion she cut half of her hair off letting it fall to the ground. 

“Why did you just do that?” Trini asked, her eyes wide. Kimberly sighed before handing Trini back the dagger. 

“I’m tired of being the Princess,” she started. “Nobody cares about who I am, they just care that I’m a princess. It is so draining to have to live up to this crazy expectation just because of who my parents were.”

“I’m sorry, Kimberly. I didn’t know it bothered you like that,” Trini sympathized placing a comforting hand on Kimberly’s forearm. 

“It’s okay. I just don’t want to be that person anymore.”

“If you don’t want to be that person then why don’t you start showing us who you actually are? I mean I’m not trying to pressure you, but we all opened up tonight except for you. Nobody is going to treat you as anything other than what you let them.”

“It’s just not easy for me being vulnerable. I’m not used to it and I don’t like being viewed as weak,” Kim sighed poking at the dying fire. 

“Trust me, none of us think you are weak. Hell, you might even fight better than me,” Trini laughed.

“Without a doubt,” Kim smirked confidently. 

“Hey now, I said might,” Trini quipped, a smile of her own forming on her lips. “Besides I’m the badass here, remember?”

“Former badass,” Kimberly corrected, smiling as she saw the frustration on Trini’s face. 

“You know, sometimes you are infuriating Kimberly Hart,” Trini mumbled, smiling as she saw Kimberly beaming at the use of her full name. 

“You said I should show you the real me,” she shrugged, lying back down and settling in for the night.

“That didn’t take long to bite me in the ass,” Trini chuckled, lying down herself as she heard Kimberly’s breathing steady to a slow cadence. Her breath started to slow down as well, soon enough matching the rest of the group as she drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Trini was the last to wake up and by the time she did, most of the campsite had already been packed up and loaded onto the horses. She stretched out her sore limbs before standing up with a yawn.

“Late night?” Zack joked finishing his teasing with a cocky wink. She didn’t even bother answering him as she moved to pack up her belongings to add to the pile. 

“Didn’t you have long hair?” Zack turned staring at Kimberly as she walked by him, a perplexed look on his face. The two girls exchanged glances, a knowing smile forming on both of their lips. 

“You’re so observant Zack,” Kimberly mocked, laughing as she mounted the horse behind Jason. Once Trini finished packing her stuff onto Zack’s horse, the group set out like normal, but the excitement from the anticipation of finally reaching their destination was evident amongst them. The closer they got the more Trini was able to see the beauty of Raijin. The Kingdom was surrounded by ornate limestone walls, decorated with yellow banners and beautiful art. Tall structures could be seen peaking over the wall that carried on the yellow theme throughout. As beautiful as it all was, Trini couldn’t help but be distracted by the slight pull she suddenly started to feel. She looked around at the others, curious to see if they showed any signs of uneasiness like her, but she didn’t discern any. The pull only increased in intensity the closer they got to the entrance to the Kingdom and it was beginning to unnerve her. As they approached the entrance, the others marveled at the detailed figures etched into the stone spanning all the way up, but Trini was too distracted to pay attention. Whatever was attracting her was getting harder and harder to ignore. 

“Guys this is so cool!” Billy said bouncing behind Trini. As they made it inside the walls, they were met with a giant stone statue of a man standing on a cloud with a giant halo behind him. His hair was spiked and he had a sinister toothy grin that was both terrifying and captivating. The group was deep in conversation about it, but Trini couldn’t focus on any of the words they were saying. Instead, she took the lead, finding a nearby stable and leading the group towards it. As they approached, Trini was the first to dismount, quickly moving to untack her horse after Billy slid off behind her. By the time the rest of the group had finished doing the same, she was already on her way out of the stables and walking into the town. 

“Trini where are you going?” Kimberly asked grabbing on to Trini’s hand to stop her from going any further. “None of us have ever been to this Kingdom and you’re running off like you know this place like the back of your hand.”

“I can’t explain it, but I can feel something pulling me. Don’t you guys feel it?” she asked and the group shook their heads. 

“Well I can and I’m going to find out what it is,” she said rushing off in the same direction as before, picking up her pace as she did. The group followed her reluctantly, almost jogging to have to keep up with her pace until she came to a sudden stop at the top of the main stairs. She paused for a second before continuing through what looked like the main residential area of the Kingdom. Soon enough Trini stopped again as they reached the end of the houses and ended at the bottom of a much more secluded cliff. 

“Geez. For someone with such short legs you sure can walk fast,” Zack griped, trying to catch his breath. Trini ignored him, her focus preoccupied on two girls who were sitting at the edge of the cliff. She made her way over to them as the strange tugging feeling seemed to get stronger and stronger, becoming almost painful the closer she got to the two girls. Just as she made it to the girls with the rest of the group right behind her, the girls turned hearing the sounds of their steps. 

“Can I help you?” the girl in yellow asked, her tone annoyed as she stood up to face Trini. She held out a hand and helped her friend up before bringing her attention back to Trini. 

“Uh, I don’t really know,” Trini stammered, suddenly unsure of what she should ask or say. 

“Great. Well thanks for interrupting us,” she scoffed. “As much fun as I’m sure you all are, we are going to go now,” she said grabbing her friend’s hand and pulling her to walk past the group, bumping into Trini’s shoulder hard as she did. 

“Wait!” Trini called after her, causing the other girl to stop and turn slightly towards Trini. “I know this is going to sound weird, but there’s something pulling me towards you and I can’t explain it.”

“As flattering as that is, I’m really not interested,” the girl laughed.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Trini started, her cheeks flushing red. “Do you know anything about something called a power coin?” 

“Why would you ask me that?” the girl snapped, the sly smile on her face wiped away in an instant. 

“Sorry, I just…,” Trini trailed. “Wait, does that mean you do know?” she asked realizing the confident girl didn’t say no. 

“Listen pipsqueak. I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what you want, and I really don’t care. Trust me when I say this, it’s not worth your time so just keep it moving,” she seethed. 

“So you do know,” Trini replied her confidence rising at the fact that her instincts were right. 

“I didn’t say that,” the girl replied simply.

“You didn’t deny it either,” Kimberly challenged, and at this sudden interruption the girl in yellow looked like she was going to explode. She rushed forward towards Trini, closing the gap between them in seconds.

“Do you really think that you would have a chance?” the girl seethed looking Trini up and down. “There is no way I would ever give it to you,” she finished, her friend pulling her back slightly as she was mere inches away from Trini. 

“You’re a ray of sunshine,” Kim spat, moving closer so that she was right by Trini’s side. 

“Listen I’m not trying to start anything with you,” Trini started, interrupting the glare match that the girl was having with Kimberly. “I could feel something calling me, pulling at me. That’s how we made our way over to you in the first place. I don’t know how to explain it, but I know that it wants me,” Trini finished and the girl burst out laughing. 

“Mmhm, I’m sure it does. But according to legend there is only one person destined to wield its power and I’ve dealt with dozens of fools claiming the same thing you are.”

“Just give her a chance, Gia. You never know,” her friend finally spoke up.

“There’s no way Emma. She’s not even going to get close. I’m trying to save her the embarrassment.” Emma didn’t respond she simply gave Gia a disapproving look and Gia caved. 

“Fine. Meet me tomorrow when the sun is at its peak. If it is truly calling you, then you’ll have no problem finding me,” Gia huffed before turning and walking away in the opposite direction. Emma gave a sympathetic smile before following after her quickly catching up to her friend. 

“How did you do that?” Kimberly whispered so that only Trini could hear. Trini met her concerned brown eyes and shrugged. 

“I have no idea, it was just a feeling,” she murmured. 

“Alright so now what do we do?” Zack asked, pulling the girls’ attention back to the rest of the group. 

“Find somewhere to stay I guess,” Jason replied. 

“How are we going to do that when we have no money?” Kimberly chimed in.

“I have a little bit of money on me,” Billy said holding up a small pouch he had in his pocket.

“You’ve been holding out on us? I thought we were friends,” Zack teased. 

“We are Zack. I’m sorry there just wasn’t really a time to bring it up,” Billy stammered, but Zack just laughed. 

“Relax Billy, I’m only joking,” Zack said patting Billy’s back lightly to reassure him. 

“Oh, right,” Billy said, flinching slightly at the unexpected physical contact. 

“Alright guys lets head towards where Gia went and see if we can find somewhere cheap to stay for the night,” Jason interrupted walking off in the same direction as their previous company. As they approached the center of town, they quickly spotted a cheap looking Tavern and made their way over just as the sun was starting to set. As they walked inside, they made their way towards the bar. 

“What can I get you lot?” the woman behind the bar asked, wiping down the surface in front of her. 

“Do you have any rooms available?” Jason asked. 

“A couple, but they aren’t anything special,” she warned. 

“That’s okay we just need something to get by for the night. How much?” 

“Five pence each for the two one bed rooms we have, or we have a larger room with a couple beds that costs eight pence.”

“We’ll take the larger one,” Jason replied as Billy took the coins from his pouch and handed it over. She took the coins from the bar and slid Jason a key in return. 

“Anything else I can do for you, love?” she asked staring solely at Jason, ignoring the others. 

“Uh no, that should be fine, thank you,” he replied oblivious to her not so subtle invitation. Trini and Zack snickered as they walked away towards their room.

“What is so funny?” Jason asked as he slid the key into the door, walking into the modest room. 

“Jason you are so clueless,” Zack laughed jumping onto one of the beds.

“What are you talking about?” Jason asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Oh, just the fact that you could have gotten whatever you wanted from that girl and you didn’t even blink,” Trini teased, sitting down on the same bed as Zack.

“Oh come on, she was just being nice,” Jason scoffed, rolling his eyes at the dramatics of Zack and Trini. 

“Of course, love,” Trini jeered, and Zack burst into another fit of laughter, holding up his hand to give Trini an appreciative high five. Kimberly shook her head at the two, but couldn’t hold back her own laughter as Jason’s face turned a deep shade of red. 

“Whatever,” Jason grumbled making his way into the tiny bathroom to start washing off some of the grime. The rest of the group waited to do the same, taking turns to finally wash up for the night, reveling in the feeling of fresh clean skin and hair. As Trini finished up, she took a seat next to Zack on one of the beds, noticing that Billy was prepping some blankets on the floor. 

“Billy you can sleep on the bed, I don’t mind taking the floor,” she motioned. “After all you paid for the room.”

“That’s okay, I prefer to sleep alone anyways,” he replied, waving his hand and laying down on his makeshift bed. 

“Are you sure?” 

“I’m sure. Truly I don’t mind, Trini.” 

Trini didn’t push it any further, even though she felt guilty for getting a spot on one of the beds when Billy didn’t. She laid down resting her head on the flat pillow. Even though it wasn’t much of anything, after days of sleeping on the hard ground the bed felt like heaven to her. The rest of the group seemed to reciprocate the feeling as it didn’t take long for them to fall into a peaceful slumber. Just as all of the others fell asleep, Trini couldn’t help but feel the nagging, dull, magnetic pull that she had continued to feel since they arrived at Raijin. She still wasn’t sure why she was the only one who felt it and she was anxious about what tomorrow would bring, but at the same time her desire to quench her curiosity was too much for her to feed into her concerns. Lost in her thoughts, she soon drifted off into a comfortable sleep of her own. 

In the morning, Trini woke up to the familiar pull accompanied by a heavy pit in her stomach. 

“You okay?” Zack asked as he sat up himself, noticing the tension dripping from Trini’s body. 

“Just nervous,” she replied simply, stretching out her limbs before standing up and getting ready for the day’s journey. After the rest of the group had finally finished up, they left the room, returning their key to the bar maiden, before leaving the tavern. 

“Where to crazy girl?” Zack asked as they all looked at Trini waiting for direction. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the force, but it was weaker than she anticipated. 

“I think this way,” she said pointing to the right, the opposite direction of where they found Gia and Emma the night before. She hesitated before walking in that direction, hoping that her instincts were right. They walked for a while passing through the beautiful, unfamiliar Kingdom. 

“Trini are you sure you know where to go?” Jason asked, staring up at the sun in the sky as it was dangerously close to its peak.

“Just trust me,” she said, picking up the pace and walking through a side entrance that led out into the vast desert. In the distance, she could see Gia and Emma relaxing in the sand, their heads leaned back as they let the sun beat down on their skin. As the group got closer to them, Gia’s attention turned towards them, a smirk on her face. 

“You made it,” she greeted, standing up and brushing off the sand from her hands and legs. “Barely,” she whispered to herself as she helped up Emma. 

“Told you I would,” Trini responded ignoring the slight jab from Gia. “So does this mean you believe me now?” 

“I’m afraid it’s not going to be that simple,” Gia chuckled. “You’re going to have to beat me if you want that power coin,” she teased, her fists clenching by her side. 

“So I beat you in a fight, and I get the power coin?” 

“You’ll have to beat me to find out,” Gia smirked, pulling her clenched fists up in front of her. Trini huffed before getting in her own fighting stance. She was irritated with the mind games that Gia was playing and despite her usual patient demeanor, she couldn’t help but lash out, aggressively swinging towards Gia. Her punch didn’t land as Gia easily dodged her swing, shoving Trini’s back and knocking her off balance. Gia took Trini’s recklessness as inexperience, a cocky smirk plastered on her face as she moved to kick Trini while she was still off balance. Trini anticipated the move, quickly regaining her balance and grabbing onto Gia’s leg. With one swift motion she pulled Gia down to the ground straddling Gia’s waist and pinning her arms down above her head. 

“I thought you weren’t into me?” Gia taunted, trying to get under Trini’s skin. It worked as Trini’s grasp on Gia’s wrists eased up ever so slightly, allowing Gia to free her hands and push Trini off of her. She lunged to grasp at Trini’s neck, but just as she reached her target, Trini had done the same. They both clenched their grip around each other’s necks, refusing to surrender to each other. 

“Gia stop!” Emma called, knowing how stubborn Gia could be. 

“I’ll stop if you do,” Gia grunted at Trini. “On the count of three. One…two….three,” she finished, clenching tighter around Trini’s neck, but choking as Trini did the same.

“Okay that is enough,” Emma yelled. She and Kimberly moved over to the two stubborn girls pulling their hands away from each other and shaking their heads as they gasped for air. 

“Why did you do that? I had her!” Trini said, her tone sharp as she looked up at Kimberly.

“Oh please, you did not,” Gia grunted, her hand rubbing at her sore neck. 

“Whatever. Do I get the power coin now?” Trini asked directing her attention towards Gia. 

“No, you haven’t even started my challenge yet.”

"What was all that about then?” Trini scoffed, her hands resting on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. 

“Oh, that was just a fun warmup,” Gia smirked, handing Trini a strip of black cloth. “Put that on.”

“Are you kidnapping me?” Trini teased.

“Please, like I’d want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary with you,” she scoffed. “Go on put it on,” she urged, motioning for Trini to hurry up. Trini complied, wrapping the black cloth around her eyes and tying it tight behind her head. 

“Now, no cheating,” she said waving her hand in front of Trini’s eyes. “If I catch you cheating it’s over.” 

“What are we even doing?” Trini huffed, hearing a sudden shuffling noise, but no response from Gia.

“Trust your instincts. If you’re really destined for this coin, you’ll have no problem catching me,” she heard Gia call out from the distance. 

“I’m blindfolded!” Trini yelled, shaking her head.

“Exactly. You still haven’t proven to me that you feel this so called pull.”

“I’ve found you twice now,” Trini grumbled.

“Yes, but not with a blindfold. Now enough talk, if you can catch me, I’ll give you the power coin. But be warned I’m not going easy on you, pipsqueak,” she laughed, running off through the desert. 

“Oh trust me, I’ll catch you,” Trini mumbled to herself before carefully walking forward, her hands out in front of her as she followed the magnetic force. 

“You look like a drunk baby,” Gia laughed. “You’re never going to catch me going that slow.” Trini groaned picking up the pace, feeling the pull get more and more intense. She reached out just as it started to get close to unbearable, but was met with a painful prick to her palm. Gia snickered in response, her laughter within a few feet. 

“You did that on purpose,” Trini growled, shaking her hand out and moving slightly to the side of the cactus in front of her before breaking out in a sprint, catching Gia off guard. She reached out grasping in the air, hoping to catch any part of Gia. She felt her fingertips brush against what felt like fabric and in a rash decision, she decided to trust her instincts, lunging forward and grabbing onto whoever was in front of her. She ripped off her blindfold with the other hand, smirking as she saw a shocked Gia in front of her. 

“I can’t believe it,” Gia stammered, her eyes wide. “You actually did it.”

“Hell yeah she did,” Zack cheered, wrapping a proud arm around Trini’s shoulders as the rest of the group quickly met up with the two girls, Emma included. 

“Guess this means you owe her something,” Emma smiled, moving to stand close by Gia’s side. Trini smirked, holding her hand out expectantly, but Gia shook her head. 

“Not just yet. I have to tell you the history first,” Gia replied, the rest of the group collectively letting out an irritated sigh. “Hey it’s important. Do you want to find out the truth, or just trust the nonsense I’m sure you’ve heard?” The group stayed silent, giving her the answer she wanted as she began her story.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the legendary warriors that fought to bring peace to the lands centuries ago,” she started, seeing the casual nods in response. “And that they suddenly disappeared when one of the warriors got power hungry, killing one of the other warriors and how the rest of them suddenly disappeared. What you probably don’t know is that with the exception of one, the rest of the warriors were killed as well. Zordon was the original holder of the red power coin and he was the leader of their group, which they referred to as the power rangers.”

“King Zordon?” Kimberly asked, recognizing the name of the very first winner of the Reckoning. 

“Yes, King Zordon,” Gia nodded. “I don’t know the identity of all of the other rangers, but I do know that the green ranger was the one who turned on the team, killing the rest of the rangers one by one until it was only Zordon left. In a last attempt to stop the green ranger from getting all of their powers, Zordon collected all of the power coins from his deceased team and used the last of his strength to morph into his red dragon form, fleeing from his death where he was able to store the coins away from the green ranger.”

“I’m sorry, did I hear you right?” Zack asked shaking his head. “Did you just say morph into a red dragon?”

“You heard me right,” she answered. “All of the power coins hold the spirit of a different animal. Whomever is destined to wield its power is also granted the power to morph into the form of that spirit,” she paused, looking at the shocked expressions on the other five. “Trini, as the yellow ranger you are destined to hold the yellow power coin, which holds the spirit of the tiger.”

“That is so cool!” Billy gushed as he looked around at the others, who were just as excited as he was. 

“Now to finish the story. After Zordon narrowly escaped, he made it his mission to entrust a family in each kingdom who could watch over their respective power coin to ensure that they wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. Some of those families were the ones left behind from his fellow rangers, and others were just strong, honorable people that the rangers had come to know over the years. My ancestors have been watching over the yellow power coin for centuries, but nobody has ever claimed it from us. I suspect that something grim must be headed our way if its suddenly calling you now after centuries of inactivity,” she finished, her face laced with concern at her last thought. 

“But now that you know the truth, the power coin is all yours. Use it well, Trini,” she said extending her hand towards Trini’s open palm, placing the shimmering yellow coin in her hand. As soon as it touched her skin, Trini felt the constant pull vanish in an instant. The group stared at her waiting with their breaths held in anticipation of what would happen, but there was no reaction. They collectively sighed, disappointed in the lackluster exchange. 

“I don’t get it,” Zack started. “Nothing happened?”

“Maybe I’m not the one destined for it,” Trini sighed her face falling. 

“Oh you most definitely are. Nobody has ever made it remotely close to winning my challenge. Like it or not you are destined for it. It’s up to you to figure out how to use it,” Gia said. 

“She would be destined for a dud,” Zack chuckled to himself, but Trini heard him. She shot him a glare, to which he held up his hands in defense. “Please no, don’t hurt me with your miraculous new powers,” he finished, barely able to contain his laughter as Trini chased after him. Gia, Emma, and the rest of the group stared at the two as Trini chased Zack in circles. 

“Are they always like this?” Gia asked and the other three laughed. 

“Usually,” Kimberly responded, a smile on her face as she watched the scene before her with amusement. In one final effort, Trini leaped towards Zack’s back, catching him off guard and tackling him to the ground.

“Apologize!” Trini yelled, pushing his face into the sand. 

“For what?” Zack replied barely intelligible as his voice was muffled from the sand. 

“You know what!” she screamed pushing harder. 

“Alright, alright. Break it up you two,” Jason laughed pulling Trini off of Zack’s back. Zack stood up, pulling a face as he tried to spit out the sand that was coating his mouth. 

“If the world is in the hands of you two, I’ll start saying my goodbyes now,” Gia grumbled, receiving a disapproving look from Emma.

“So, any insight as to where we should go next?” Trini asked turning her attention to Gia and Emma.

“Like I said, the power coins were originally spread out across the kingdoms. Whether or not they remained there is to be seen, but that’s where I would start,” Gia answered plainly. 

“So, what’s the next kingdom?” Billy asked looking around at the rest of the group. 

“The next closest is Azar,” Kimberly answered, Gia nodding her head in confirmation. 

“So let’s go,” Jason responded a newfound excitement seeping out of him that Trini hadn’t seen before. 

“What happened to this being a bust?” Trini asked.

“Alright, I was wrong. Now can we just move along? I’m sure the rest of us would like to see if our coins are duds too,” he teased, catching Trini off guard. Before she could retaliate, Kimberly gripped onto her arm, restraining her from making any sudden moves at Jason. Trini huffed, her irritation evident on her face as she broke free and made her way back towards town, the others following close behind. 

“It was nice to meet you two!” Billy called out as they walked away from the two Raijin girls. For the first time, Gia’s face flashed with genuine content as she and Emma waved at the departing group. 

“I like them,” Emma smiled, turning her attention to Gia as their fingers comfortably intertwined. 

“They are unique, I will give them that,” she chuckled, leaning into the smaller girl.

The group finally made it back to their horses, saddling them up as Billy broke off towards one of the nearby shops. He quickly returned, a pouch of food in his hand that he added to the back of Zack’s horse before taking his spot behind Trini. They took off towards the main entrance, beginning the next chapter of their journey. Trini took one final moment to take in the beauty of Raijin, appreciating the small details that she was too distracted to take in when they arrived. Jason and Kimberly broke her from her trance as they quickly trotted off, taking the lead with Kimberly instructing Jason as to which way to go. After a few hours of trotting, they slowed their pace down to give their horses a break. Trini took this opportunity to play around with her new possession. She turned the power coin over in her hands, marveling at the way the sun bounced off of it. She tried focusing on it, closing her eyes to see if she could feel anything, but there was nothing. 

“It’s okay, you’ll figure it out in time,” Kimberly reassured her, noticing Trini’s irritation. 

“I hope so,” she sighed, putting the coin back into her pocket and focusing on the path ahead. After a couple more hours, the sun started to set. The group halted their horses, following their routine and setting up camp. They were relatively quiet as they sat around the fire, chewing on a small portion of bread that Billy had bought earlier. Trini couldn’t pay attention to the light conversations that the rest of them were having as she was deep in thought, her hand rubbing at the power coin in her pocket. She didn’t understand how she could feel such a pull towards it and then absolutely nothing once she had it in her possession. As the group started to drift off to sleep leaving her alone, she took the opportunity to concentrate on the power coin. 

“Come on,” she whispered to herself as she held it tight in her clenched fist, her eyes squeezed shut. “Do something,” she breathed harshly. She sighed in defeat as nothing happened, dropping it back into her pocket and flopping onto the ground. She closed her eyes, prepared to fall into a deep sleep, but was instead met with a strong hand around her neck. Her eyes snapped open, her heart pounding as she saw the person responsible. The feral woman from the castle was back gripping at Trini’s neck, digging her sharp, golden nails into her neck. A trickle of blood escaped Trini’s throat as Trini’s eyes snapped shut from the pain. She tried to scream, but choked as the woman’s hold was too strong. 

“Little yellow,” the woman teased her breath hot on Trini’s cheek. “Can’t figure it out, can you?” she teased chuckling to herself. Trini squirmed trying to break her hold, struggling to breathe as she did. “If you want to live, I’d suggest you stop trying. Pretty soon I’ll be the Supreme Queen and all will belong to me, including you.” Trini’s eyes opened locking onto the woman’s beady green eyes. She mustered all of her energy to kick her backwards, rushing towards her with her dagger in hand. 

“Please, spare me!” she screamed as Trini held her dagger at the woman’s throat. Just as soon as the woman said the words, she erupted into a fit of laughter. She quickly slammed Trini’s arm to the side, her dagger flying out of her hand from the force. She moved her claws back to Trini’s neck gripping her tighter than before. “I like you little yellow, you have spunk. You remind me of myself, albeit a much weaker and pathetic version,” she chuckled squeezing tight enough to completely restrict Trini’s airways. “Take this as a warning for you and your pathetic friends. I will be the Supreme Queen and there is nothing you can do to stop me,” she snarled, dissipating in an instant. Trini fell to the ground clutching at her throat and gasping for air. The noise woke up the others who immediately rushed to Trini’s side. 

“Trini? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Kim asked, tentatively placing a hand on Trini’s back as she continued to violently gasp and cough. Trini could feel the lack of control she had over her breathing and it only made it worse. She started to panic and hyperventilate, unable to control her breathing. Sensing Trini’s panic rising, Kim started rubbing small, slow circles on her back. 

“I’m right here, Trini,” Kim whispered. Trini focused on the motions of Kimberly’s hand as it moved carefully and rhythmically up and down her back. She focused on controlling her breathing, matching the cadence of Kimberly’s movements. When she finally regained control, she moved from her knees to a sitting position, clutching at her sore neck. 

“Trini, what happened?” Kimberly tentatively asked, her hand remaining on Trini’s back.

“It was that woman I saw at the castle. She was here and she was so strong. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.” Trini choked out. 

“What woman?” Zack questioned, his brows furrowing in confusion. “You never said anything about a woman.”

“Well to be honest I thought I had imagined it. That night at the castle she disappeared right before my eyes. I didn’t say anything because I thought you guys would think I was crazy.” 

“What did she look like?” Jason asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly. 

“Terrifying,” she shuddered, the cold air hitting her skin and sending a chill across her body. Kim grabbed her blanket, wrapping it around Trini. “She was wearing this armor that was covered in gold. Her eyes were dark green and cold. She carried a gold staff with her that matched the design of her armor. And she had these awful golden claws.” Kimberly’s head snapped to meet Jason’s frightened eyes. 

“Rita,” Jason said simply, a shiver running through Kimberly’s bones as he spoke her name. 

“Who?” Zack asked, his face laced with confusion upon hearing the name. 

“Rita Repulsa. She’s the Queen of Mammon.” Kimberly responded simply. 

“At least we know who we are running from now,” Jason sighed.


	4. Kingdom of Azar

“Why have I never heard of Rita?” Trini questioned, pulling her hand away from her neck. She stared at her hand, noticing the smear of blood. Kimberly noticed as well, her eyes concerned as she saw the trickles of blood running down the small marks on Trini’s neck. Kimberly stood up and moved to tear a piece of cloth from one of her spare shirts, pouring some water from her canteen onto it and bringing it back to Trini. She handed it over to Trini, who gave her a small grateful smile before wiping at her neck and hand.

“She isn’t really discussed much around the Kingdom,” Jason sighed, leaning back on his hands as he started. “She’s sort of like the boogeyman of our Kingdom. Unless you live in the castle, you don’t really know of her. Granted there are exceptions, but King Theodore,” he paused looking over at Kimberly sympathetically. “He didn’t want her to have any influence over our Kingdom and he feared that if people knew too much about her, she would be able to influence enough people to start a revolution.”

“So you guys thought censorship would stop her? Clearly that didn’t work,” Zack said shaking his head. 

“It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was the only thing that made sense at the time,” Kimberly quickly replied. “My father hated keeping the people in the dark, but he knew that spreading that information wouldn’t help anybody.”

“How did nobody realize during the Reckoning though?” Trini asked, setting down the blood-soaked piece of fabric.

“Rita never represented Mammon herself. She always sent a representative in her place, which is probably why they haven’t won in years. From what I’ve heard, Rita is tough competition, but she won’t allow herself to lose her life fighting for her Kingdom,” Jason answered.

“Yeah, I can vouch for that. I’ve never faced off with someone with that much strength. It’s like she isn’t even human.”

“So, what does the Queen of Mammon want with you?” Billy asked, glancing towards Trini who shrugged in response. 

“I don’t know. I saw her at the castle leaving the King’s room with blood dripping from her claws,” she started noticing Kimberly tense at the last part. “When I saw her, she stared at me with such malice and she had this sick smile on her face like she got pleasure from seeing how terrified I was. And then she just disappeared. I thought I had truly gone insane, but then she did the same thing tonight.”

“Did she say anything to you?” Kim asked, her eyes meeting with Trini’s as the latter nodded her head.

“Yeah she said, uh,” Trini paused, her face scrunching up as she tried to remember what had happened mere minutes ago. “Sorry give me a second,” she huffed, aggravated at herself for not remembering something that just happened. 

“It’s okay take your time,” Kimberly said, trying her best to reassure a very flustered Trini. After another uncomfortable moment of silence, Trini’s face brightened up when she suddenly remembered something that Rita had said. 

“She kept saying that she was going to be the Supreme Queen. Oh, and she kept calling me Little Yellow, but I don’t remember much besides that. It was all so quick and I couldn’t really focus on anything besides trying to breathe,” Trini finished, her shoulders slumping from embarrassment. 

“Little Yellow?” Zack asked, his eyebrow raising as he spoke.

“Yeah, I don’t know she must know that I have the yellow power coin.”

“How could she know that?” 

“Well, I was sort of fooling around with it trying to figure out how it works before she showed up.”

“Did anything happen?” Jason asked.

“No,” she sighed. “I gave up and was about to try and sleep when she just appeared out of nowhere.”

“Okay well I think it’s time you stop playing around with that thing,” Kimberly asserted, her tone stern.

“What? Why?” Trini asked, her attention drawn back to Kimberly.

“You were just attacked by the Queen of Mammon, Trini,” Kimberly replied, her tone raising the slightest bit. “We barely know anything about them and if you trying to figure it out is going to have her at your throat close to killing you, then you need to stop until we find out more.”

“Who’s to say that she isn’t going to randomly appear again anyways? If I don’t figure it out then we aren’t going to be able to stop her.”

“This isn’t all on you Trini. We are all in this together now, you don’t have to figure this all out on your own.” Trini sighed, her hand subconsciously rubbing small circles at the yellow coin in her pocket. “I know you want to figure it out and I know you are used to doing everything on your own, but it’s not worth the risk. We need our badass,” Kimberly finished with a small smile. Trini’s lips pulled into a small smile of her own as she looked up to face Kimberly.

“I’m a badass again?” she asked, a twinkle of hope in her eyes that made Kimberly laugh. 

“I’d say anyone who faces off with the Queen of Mammon and lives to tell the tale has earned back their badass title,” she responded, feeling her heart sore as Trini’s smile erupted across her face. 

“There is no way that someone as short as you can be a badass,” Zack scoffed. 

“Too late Zack, Kimberly already confirmed it,” Trini replied, shoving his shoulder lightly. 

“Who made her the official on badasses? And who’s to say that I’m not?”

“You’re definitely not,” Kimberly quickly interjected, causing Trini to snicker loudly. 

“Kimberly has spoken,” Trini laughed as she saw the hurt flash across Zack’s face. 

“Why not?” 

“What about me?” Billy asked eagerly, cutting off Zack’s whines.

“You are absolutely a badass, Billy,” Kimberly smiled and Billy perked up, his hands clapping together rapidly from excitement. 

“Oh come on! How is he a badass and I’m not?” Zack grumbled.

“Billy caught us dinner on multiple occasions and has a propensity to blow stuff up. Tell me how that is not badass.”

“Okay fair enough, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not a badass.”

“Zack, after Billy got done catching us fish for dinner, you cried when that eagle swooped down and stole your last bite,” Kimberly replied simply, but Trini was laughing uncontrollably at this point, gripping at her stomach from the dull pain all of the laughter had caused. 

“That’s not fair! Have any of you had a bird swoop down and take your remaining sustenance straight from your hand? I don’t think so.” 

“Doesn’t matter. A badass wouldn’t have cried,” Kimberly shrugged.

“Whatever, if Trini is a badass then I don’t want to be one anyways,” he huffed, sulking back to lay closer to the fire. The other four moved a little closer to the barely smoldering fire as well, shuddering a little from the lack of warmth it was providing against the cold night. 

“In all seriousness guys, Kim is right. We need to be really careful moving forward, which means that until we know more about these power coins, we need to stop experimenting,” Jason finished, glancing in Trini’s direction. 

“Alright I get it. I’ll stop until we get more information,” she sighed before lying down and finally falling asleep. 

Trini woke up and stretched out her arms above her head before she started to pack up their small camp. Once the others began to wake up as well, they helped her finish with the camp before mounting their respective horses. They set off in the direction of Azar, suddenly seeing a Kingdom appear within a few hundred feet. It was too quick considering they had just barely left Raijin. 

“How did we get here so fast?” Trini asked, her head slightly foggy as the Kingdom started to get impossibly closer. She could see it clearly now, the dark skies and dying plants surrounding it. The main castle was made of black brick accented by dark green banners dispersed across the wall. It looked nothing like the stories Kimberly had told them of Azar. 

“What are you talking about? We have been traveling for weeks,” Zack responded coldly. Trini shook her head, looking around at her companions in confusion. 

“I did not expect Azar to look like this,” she sighed, intimidated by the cold nature of the Kingdom before her. 

“Azar?” Kim asked her brows furrowing in confusion. “Why would we go there? This is Mammon.”

“Mammon?” Trini sputtered, her eyes widening in shock. “Why would we go to Mammon?

“To pledge our allegiance to the Supreme Queen of course,” Jason responded, his tone uncomfortably monotone.

“All hail Queen Rita!” a guard yelled as they approached the castle.

“Hail Queen Rita,” the others yelled in response as they passed through the castle gates.

Trini’s surroundings flashed before her, suddenly changing as they were now inside the castle. Trini was standing next to Zack, Jason, Kim, and Billy as they knelt down in front of Rita who was sitting on her thrown. 

“You dare stand before me, Little Yellow?” Rita roared, standing up and closing the distance between them in a fraction of a second. “Bow to your Queen,” she growled.

“You are not my Queen,” Trini snarled, her eyes locked onto Rita’s cold green eyes. 

“Bow down, or I will make you suffer,” Rita threatened, her hand closing around Trini’s neck. 

“I will never bow down to you. You might as well kill me now because it’s never going to happen.”

“Kill you?” Rita laughed maniacally, releasing Trini’s throat from her grip. “That would be too easy,” she said, her laughter ceasing as she tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, studying Trini’s face. “I know what you’re afraid of, Little Yellow, and I think it’s time you understand what I am capable of,” she finished coldly, before immediately slashing a fatal cut across Zack’s neck with her golden claws. Zack gripped at his neck, but the crimson blood was pouring out of his body and seeping through his fingers too fast. He slumped to the ground, his body convulsing. 

“No!” Trini shouted, trying to run towards Zack, but her feet were grounded as if they were encased in cement. One by one she watched as Rita slashed the throats of Jason, then Billy, leaving only Kimberly. 

“Please,” she pleaded, tears streaming down her face as she saw the familiar sadistic grin appear on Rita’s face. 

“Mercy is for the weak,” Rita responded simply, before cocking her arm back and swiping her claws swiftly across Kimberly’s throat. 

Trini woke up in a panic, sitting up quickly as she looked around at her surroundings. 

“You’re okay,” she heard a voice whisper to her. She snapped her attention in the direction of the voice to see a concerned Billy sitting close by. Her head was foggy and her panicked arousal had caused her blankets to fly off her, leaving her shuddering as the light wind blew across the cold sweat on her body. Billy moved so that he was sitting next to Trini, grabbing her blanket and delicately wrapping it around her shoulders. 

“Thanks,” she said simply wrapping it around herself. “That was so real,” she sighed. 

“Bad nightmare?” He asked and she nodded, breathing slowly as she willed herself to calm down in the comfortable silence. 

“What were you still doing up?” she asked realizing that he wasn’t even lying down when she woke up.

“Ah, well after you fell asleep, we all got to talking and figured something like this might happen, or worse. Kimberly suggested that we take shifts just to make sure that you would be okay.”

“You guys took shifts watching me?” 

“Not exactly watching you, just watching out for you,” Billy corrected. 

“You guys didn’t have to do that,” she said feeling a sudden warmth swell inside her chest. 

“We know, but we wanted to make sure that nothing happened to you.”

“Well thank you,” she said sending him a small, appreciative smile. “You can go back to sleep though Billy. I don’t think I’ll be going back to sleep after that.”

“That’s okay I’m last shift. I got plenty of sleep. Besides the sun is starting to show,” he said nodding in the direction where the sun was creeping up over a small sand dune. They sat in comfortable silence as they watched the sun slowly rise, lighting up the sky into beautiful shades of purple, blue, and orange. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Billy asked breaking the silence. 

“Not much to talk about really,” Trini shook her head. “Just dreamed of Rita and Mammon. None of it was real, but it was terrifying,” she finished, keeping the end of her nightmare to herself. 

“Well, if you ever want to talk about it, you know I am here to listen.”

“I know,” she smiled as Billy’s infectious smile was impossible not to reciprocate. After a few more minutes, the others started to wake up as the sun had almost completely illuminated the sky, leaving only small traces of purple and orange. 

“Did you sleep okay?” Kimberly whispered to Trini as they started packing up their stuff. 

“Yeah, I slept well enough,” Trini lied turning towards Zack’s horse as she loaded the bag on its back. 

“You’re lying,” Kimberly said and Trini sighed before turning around to face her. 

“I had a nightmare, but I’m okay. Seriously, I will be okay Kim. I promise,” she finished trying her best to flash a reassuring smile at Kim before turning away to mount her horse. Her answer seemed to satisfy Kim enough as she moved to follow Trini’s actions. She paused as she went to mount Jason’s horse as something on the ground caught her eye. She walked over a few feet, picking up Trini’s dagger from the ground. She made her way back to their horses, stretching the dagger out in front of her as she handed it over to Trini.

“Thanks,” Trini muttered, forgetting the fact that she had lost it last night in her encounter with Rita. Kimberly nodded her head, turning around and taking her place behind Jason. Trini turned to glance at Zack as he was the last to mount his horse. He had a smirk on his face that Trini had seen too many times to count. 

“What?” Trini asked, knowing that Zack only smirked like that when he thought he knew something nobody else did. 

“Oh nothing, crazy girl. Just observing,” he replied simply, finishing with a wink. Trini shook her head, annoyed and confused with Zack’s obscurity, but used to it after all of these years. She kicked her heels back urging her horse to trot forward and follow Jason and Kim’s lead, sending a glare at Zack who was still looking at her with a stupid grin on his face. They kept up a good pace for as long as they felt comfortable with their tired horses, before inevitably slowing down to give them a break. At the very least they had made it out of the desert and into a more familiar terrain, much to Trini’s relief. 

“It shouldn’t be too much longer before we arrive at Azar,” Kimberly said, breaking their silence.

“Seriously?” Trini replied, shaking her head to try and fight her tired eyes. 

“Yeah, it’s a lot closer to Raijin than Astraea.” Trini couldn’t help the yawn that escaped her mouth as Kimberly spoke.

“Am I boring you?” Kimberly laughed, her head tilting to the side in a way that made Trini’s stomach flutter for a reason she wasn’t quite sure of.

“No, just a little tired. I’ll be alright,” Trini mumbled. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Kimberly whisper something to Jason before they suddenly halted their horse. “What are you doing?” Trini asked, pulling the reins of her own horse so that she was level with Kim and Jason. She watched as Kim gracefully slid off of Jason’s horse, making her way around until she was staring up at Trini.

“Sorry Billy, but if you wouldn’t mind, Jason could use a new riding partner,” she smiled and Billy nodded, sliding off of Trini’s horse and making his way over to Jason. Trini’s face was dumbstruck as she watched Billy mount Jason’s horse, taking Kimberly’s usual spot behind Jason.

“Alright scooch back,” Kimberly said, waving her hand.

“Are you crazy?” Trini asked, staring at Kimberly with an unimpressed look. 

“No, and from what I hear that’s your name,” she teased, hearing a snicker from Zack. 

“What are you even doing? Why are we switching?”

“You are going to relax and rest while I take care of the riding.”

“No,” Trini answered plainly.

“Yes,” Kimberly challenged, her tone as serious as Trini had ever heard her.

“Why?” Trini whined.

“Because I said so.”

“Do you even know how to ride a horse?”

“Why don’t you move back and let me show you.” Trini sighed, rolling her eyes as she pushed herself back enough to give Kimberly room. Kimberly wasted no time as she quickly mounted Trini’s horse taking hold of the reins as she got herself comfortable. Trini wrapped her arms around Kim’s waist, grumbling to herself as Kimberly shook her head at her antics. 

“Not a fan of nostalgia?” Kimberly joked, leading them off at the same slow trot as before. 

“Nostalgia?” Trini questioned.

“The night we met? Oh, how the roles have reversed,” Kim chuckled. “Also, don’t think I didn’t notice your dramatic eye roll,” Kimberly said, turning her head slightly to speak more directly to Trini. “Just remember I can take that title back anytime,” she teased.

“What, you’re going to say I’m not a badass because I didn’t want to let you ride my horse?”

“I could. Don’t test me Trini Gomez,” she laughed, urging Trini’s horse forward as she picked up the pace. Trini wanted to argue, but she didn’t have the energy to keep up with the banter. She couldn’t help but feel her body relax with the steady rhythm of her horse’s trot. She tried to shake herself awake, but she was fighting a losing battle. Her head felt impossibly heavy and soon enough she felt herself leaning closer to Kimberly, her head dipping so low that it was now resting on Kim’s shoulder. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she snapped her head up, shaking it more vigorously than her previous attempts. 

“Trini, stop being so stubborn. It’s okay just relax,” Kimberly pleaded. Trini contemplated it for a moment before finally allowing herself to give into her body’s exhaustion. She dipped her head back down, resting it back on Kimberly’s shoulder and tightening her grip around her waist. She closed her eyes, her mind and body relaxing as she focused on the tranquil sounds of the nature around them and the soft, steady beat of Kimberly’s heart. 

“Trini,” Kimberly whispered, lightly shaking Trini’s arms that were still loosely wrapped around her waist. Trini felt Kimberly shaking her arm, but she was too comfortable to move. She kept her eyes closed, willing herself to fall back asleep, but having no such luck as Kimberly shifted just enough to cause Trini’s head to fall from its place on her shoulder. She grumbled as the sudden drop woke her up, her hands rubbing at her tired eyes as they slowly adjusted to her surroundings. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you like that, but we are setting up for the night.”

“Setting up?” Trini asked, still confused in her groggy state. 

“Yeah, the sun is setting, so we are setting up camp for the night. But look,” she said pointing off in the distance. “If you look closely you can see the top of Azar from here.” Trini looked in the direction she pointed, her eyes squinting to try and see what she was talking about. She finally saw the faintest outline of some buildings in the distance, but it was too far to distinguish any details. 

“How long was I asleep?” Trini asked, slipping off her horse as she followed Kimberly over towards where the boys had begun piling wood for the fire.

“You were out for a while, but you didn’t miss much. Just a huge debate amongst the boys about who would be the next one to get a power coin.”

“Darn, I missed that?” she teased, noticing Kimberly’s infectious smile light up in response. 

“Come on Trini, there’s no time for talking. You’ve slept all day the least you can do is help with the fire,” Zack teased, knowing all too well that it would be easier to get under her skin since she was still barely awake. 

“Zack, I just want you to know that once I figure out how this power coin works, you’re the first person I’m coming after,” she threatened, picking up a piece of wood and tossing it to the pile that the boys had started to set up for the fire. 

“Trini, remember what we talked about before,” Jason warned, sitting back to look at her properly once he had successfully started the fire.

“I know, I know. I’ll lay off until we find out more. But when that day comes, you better watch out Zack,” she threatened, her tone trying to be intense, but failing as she couldn’t help but laugh with her friend. As the group took their spots in front of the fire, Billy grabbed his small bag, taking out some small portions of the food that he had purchased in Raijin and handing it out amongst the group. They ate in silence, not having the energy to hold a conversation as the constant traveling had started to wear on the group. To Trini’s surprise she was still exhausted even after sleeping most of the day away. She decided to try and get some more rest, pulling her blanket so that it was covering her body as she rested her head in the crook of her arm. She focused on the crackling of the fire and the constant, melodic chirps of the nearby crickets, letting her eyes give into the heavy pull of sleep. 

When Trini woke up, she was greeted with a light fog surrounding them in the early morning gloom. She stood up, stretching out her aching limbs as she turned to look in the direction where Kimberly had shown her Azar the night before. She glanced around, but couldn’t see it through the fog. As she looked around, she realized that she was the first one to wake. Her eyes landed on Kimberly, lingering for longer than usual as she couldn’t help but notice how striking she was even when she slept. She looked so serene and yet still so compelling and it made Trini’s stomach flip for reasons she couldn’t understand. She deduced it to a slight feeling of jealousy as she knew that she was far from pretty when she slept. Knowing that they would all be waking up relatively soon, she quietly packed up her belongings and loaded them onto Zack’s horse. She had almost everything done by the time everybody was awake and as a result they were able to depart earlier than usual. 

Trini mounted her horse, expecting Billy to take his familiar place behind her, but he instead made his way over to Jason, reclaiming his spot from yesterday. Kimberly seemed just as surprised as Trini, but didn’t obsess over it as she slid comfortably behind Trini, her hands loosely gripping at Trini’s waist. 

“Guess you’re leading the way now,” Kimberly whispered to Trini, sending chills down her spine as she could feel Kim’s breath dance across the sensitive skin on the back of her neck. Trini hesitated for a moment, grateful that Kim couldn’t see the affect she was having on her, before she pushed the involuntary sensations away, urging her horse forward in the direction of Azar. 

Soon enough, they could see the skyline of Azar begin to emerge through the dissipating fog. They picked up their pace, determined to arrive at their destination with some daylight left. As they got closer, Trini looked between the others, trying to discern if any of them could feel the pull that she felt when they were at Raijin. She waited until they were about as close to Azar as they were to Raijin when she had started to feel different before breaking the silence amongst them.

“Do any of you guys feel anything?” 

“Nope, I feel the same as before,” Zack replied shaking his head. The others shook their heads as well.

“Maybe we just don’t know it yet,” Jason shrugged.

“No trust me, you would feel it if you did.”

The closer they got to Azar and the rocky mountain it rested on, the more they were able to actually take in. Now that it was comfortably in sight, everybody’s gaze seemed to focus on the large volcano sitting in the background of the Kingdom simultaneously, as there was an audible gasp amongst the group. Everybody seemed shocked, with the exception of Kimberly. 

“Kim, with all of the things you’ve told us about Azar, how could you fail to mention that they live near a volcano?” Trini huffed, turning her head so that she could look at her current riding partner.

“What and ruin the surprise? That’s no fun,” she smirked, winking at Trini as they approached the Kingdom gates. Trini felt her heart flutter, but she shook it off, turning to look away from Kim and distract herself with the architecture of the approaching castle. Trini marveled at the beautiful brick pillars, accented with red flags at the top that depicted a woman that Trini didn’t recognize. The Kingdom walls were made of white brick and, unlike Raijin, they were bare from any artwork. Instead of paintings and carvings, Azar relied on the intricacy of the architecture for its beauty. As opposed to the harsh angular, traditional architecture of Raijin, Azar was more fluid. Their buildings were topped off with smooth red domes that drew the eyes attention for its pop of contrasting color. As they made it through the gates, the same woman that Trini saw on the flags was depicted in a statue in the center of town. Now that she was able to get a closer glimpse, Trini was shocked to find the woman so scantily clad. The statue had long, flowing hair and most of her skin was bare, with the exception of the more intimate parts of her body which were covered with a deep red armor. Her hands were cupped together in front of her, holding a small flame. 

“This place is even more beautiful than the books give it credit,” Kim breathed, her eyes wandering around, trying to take everything in.

“Anybody feel anything?” Zack asked.

“No, not a thing,” Jason replied. Billy and Kim shook their heads as well, causing Trini to sigh.

“I don’t get it. I felt it long before we ever made it into Raijin.”

“Maybe it doesn’t work the same,” Zack shrugged.

“Or maybe none of us are meant for it,” Jason sighed, leading his horse over toward the nearby stables.

“I doubt that,” Billy said as he jumped off of Jason’s horse. 

“It might be best to get realistic here, Billy. I know you are excited, we all are, but what are the chances that all of us are destined for a power coin?” Jason said as he and the others worked on untacking their horses. 

“What were the chances that you’d all run into me in the first place? What are the chances that Trini would be destined for one?” Billy responded, following the others as they walked back towards the center of town. “I know this could turn out different, but the fact that Trini was meant for one gives me hope that my father’s story is more than just a story.”

“Billy I just don’t want you to get your h- Woah!” Jason yelled, jumping to the side as a blaze of fire came shooting right at him. He could feel the scorching heat barely miss his right arm as he snapped his head towards the source. 

“Is that a…?” 

“DRAGON?!” Trini and Zack yelled at the same time, their mouths hanging open as they couldn’t look away from the beautiful, but terrifying beast in front of them. The dragon reared its head back, seemingly preparing to send another fiery breath towards them until a man quickly jumped in front of them, his hands held up in front of the dragon. 

“Easy Rex,” he called, jumping back as the dragon snapped its head towards him, clashing its sharp teeth together. He held his hand out toward the dragon, the group staring at him in awe as the majestic beast slowly started to calm down, moving its head so that it was close to the mans outstretched hand. As the dragon laid down, the man stroked his hand over the crimson scales at the top of its snout, causing a deep, satisfied rumble to emerge from the giant beast.

“Sorry about all that,” the man said turning towards the group, his hand nervously rubbing at the back of his head. 

“Sorry my dragon almost turned you into a roast dinner. Ah, no problem man, happens every day,” Zack mumbled, causing Kim and Trini to smack his arms from both sides. 

“Come on, not you too!” Zack whined at Kim, who only smirked, extending her hand out to Trini for a congratulatory high five, which she gladly returned. 

“You guys aren’t from around here are you?” the man asked as he made his way over. “The name is Rocky,” he said, flashing a bright smile. “I’m a dragon trainer, and this here is Rex. He can be a little rebellious sometimes,” he chuckled, patting Rex lightly on his side. 

“Jason. This here is Billy, Zack, Kim, and Trini,” Jason replied, quick to take the lead on the introductions. 

“What brings you guys to Azar?” 

“Uh, we are kind of looking for something…important,” Jason trailed. Trini studied Rocky looking for any subtle changes, but she didn’t notice anything. In her experience this meant he was either unaware or the best actor Trini had ever come across.

“Well, anything I can do to help?” 

“Not really sure. We are looking for something that looks like a small coin. Have you seen anything like that around?” Jason asked, careful not to say too much. 

“Ah you’re looking for the power coin,” Rocky replied plainly with a chuckle, catching the group off guard. 

“You know about it?” Trini asked.

“Sure, everyone around here knows about the story,” he shrugged. 

“So, do you know where it is?” Kim asked, wasting no time in cutting to the chase.

“Well, that’s the one part nobody knows for sure,” he replied, the others sighing in response. “Some people think it was destroyed, some people think its guarded within the castle, and then there are a few people who think that it was taken away from here.”

“Taken away?” Trini questioned, her own mind running through a million possibilities. If nobody felt the presence, then maybe it was because the power coin wasn’t here anymore. 

“Yeah, that’s a more recent rumor, but it’s the one I tend to believe more. People have always had theories as to which family were the descendants of the original red ranger, and trust me they have had a lot of outrageous theories. But I think the more common belief is that the Shiba’s are the descendants. Although who knows which Shiba would be tasked with protecting it if it even is true.”

“The Shiba’s?” Billy asked.

“Oh yeah they are a mysterious bunch for sure, but they are nice people. Jayden and Lauren are the siblings, their parents died a long time ago. They used to live together with a few other people, but Lauren left around a year ago.”

“Why did she leave?” 

“Beats me, but they keep to themselves so it’s not really surprising that nobody actually knows,” he trailed. “Anyways, sorry I can’t be of more help, but you guys picked a great time to visit.”

“Why’s that?” Kim asked.

“Today is the best day of the year for us Azarian’s. It’s the day of the Azargan festival, the biggest celebration of the year.”

“A festival?” Billy asked, perking up as Rocky nodded in response.

“Guaranteed you guys have never witnessed anything like it. Are you guys staying anywhere?”

“Uh we just got here, so we haven’t had a chance to find a room to rent for the night,” Jason responded.

“Don’t bother looking they are probably all booked up by now. I have some room at my place. You guys can stay with me for the time being.”

“Seriously?” Jason asked, skeptical but grateful for the offer.

“Of course. Come on, follow me,” he motioned. “And bring your horses, I have my own stable that will be more comfortable for them.” The group quickly grabbed their horses, leading them off to follow Rocky as he made his way through town. 

“So, you’re a dragon trainer?” Billy asked, trying to fill the silence with light conversation.

“Yeah, it’s a family business type of thing,” Rocky laughed. “Don’t think I would have been brave enough to do it if I didn’t grow up with it my entire life.”

“That is so cool,” Billy shrieked, catching Rocky off guard. 

“You like dragons?” he asked, turning so that he was facing Billy.

“Who doesn’t?” 

“Fair enough. They are definitely one of the most majestic creatures in this world,” he smiled, stopping abruptly. “Here we are,” he motioned towards his house. It was quite large, but still simple enough. “The stables are right there. You can get your horses comfortable for the night. There is plenty of hay for them so don’t be afraid to use what you need,” he motioned towards his impressive setup. “When you’re all set, come right inside and I’ll show you where you guys can set yourselves up.”

“Thank you, Rocky,” Jason said, his tone easily conveying the gratitude he felt. 

“Ah it’s no problem,” Rocky smiled, turning away as he made his way into his house. 

After they set their horses up for the night, they made their way into Rocky’s house, shocked to see how much space he had inside for someone living alone. 

“Are you rich or something?” Zack asked, marveling as Rocky brought them to the multiple bedrooms that were set up for them. 

“No, but I’m lucky enough to be able to live comfortably. I didn’t buy this house though, it’s my family’s house. It has been passed down for generations.” 

“All this space for just you?” 

“Yeah, hard to get used to when this place was packed full growing up. It might be nice having you guys around. Get a break from all the silence.”

“Careful what you wish for,” Trini laughed.

“Anyways, even with a decent amount of space I’m still one bed short. I figured I could take my old room if you ladies want to take the larger bed? Figured if you have to share that you guys could use the extra space.” Trini and Kim shared a glance as they followed him into the master bedroom. 

“Rocky, you don’t have to move just because of us. I can sleep anywhere I don’t need a bed,” Trini urged, just as the boys had made their way into the room. Always one to make himself comfortable, Zack flopped onto the bed with a thud. 

“Hey if you don’t want it, I’ll gladly take your spot,” Zack teased with a wink, spreading his limbs out as he nestled into the large bed. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, after tonight you’ll need to rest up and trust me you are not going to want to do that on the floor,” Rocky said, flashing a genuine smile as he seemingly ignored Zack.

“What exactly should we be expecting with this festival?” Zack asked, the idea of needing a lot of rest piquing his interest. 

“You’ll see,” Rocky chuckled. “I’ll let you guys get settled, but we should leave in the next hour if we want to get there at a decent time,” he finished making his way back to the door. “Come on, I’ll show you three to your spots.” The boys followed his lead, leaving the girls to themselves. 

“Little does he know that you’d probably be more comfortable sleeping on a bed of nails than sharing a bed with me,” Kim joked, resting her small bag down on the left side of the bed, effectively claiming her side. 

“Why would you think that?” Trini asked, confused as to where that thought had come from.

“Please, you don’t even like riding a horse with me, let alone sharing a bed.”

“I never said that,” Trini sighed, facing away from Kimberly as she sat at the edge of the bed, her cheeks forming the faintest hint of a blush. 

“You didn’t have to. You’re not as good at hiding your emotions as you seem to think you are, Trini,” she chuckled, sitting down on her own side of the bed. She swung her legs onto the bed, taking the moment to relax as she moved to lay back, her head finding a comfortable spot on the pillow behind her. “Don’t worry I’m not offended,” she said turning to look at Trini, but only seeing her back. Trini sighed, reciprocating Kimberly’s movements as she moved to lay down on the bed, making sure to keep her gaze away from Kimberly. 

“Kimberly, I don’t hate riding with you and I have no problem sharing a bed with you,” Trini said, betraying her own thoughts at the last part of her statement. 

“Whatever you say,” she hummed, closing her eyes as she folded her hands behind her head. 

“I’m being serious, Kim,” Trini breathed, finally turning to face the girl next to her. Kim felt the bed move with the shift in Trini’s position. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting Trini’s conflicted brown eyes. 

“Hey, relax I was only teasing you,” she said lifting herself up so that she was in a sitting position. 

“I just don’t want you to think I like hate you or something when that isn’t true,” Trini sighed.

“I know you don’t hate me. After all, we’re friends right?” Kimberly asked, her tone bright as she spoke the words. Trini felt a pit form in her stomach as she heard those last words leave Kimberly’s mouth. She had wanted to be friends with Kimberly, and at this point it was clear that they were friends, so why did it hurt to hear her say it?

“Yeah, we are,” Trini mumbled, forcing herself to smile. Kimberly didn’t seem to notice the disingenuousness in her smile as a smile of her own formed on her lips in response.

“We should probably get cleaned up. We should be meeting with the boys in a few minutes,” Kimberly said, hopping off the bed as she grabbed her most respectable pair of clothes that she had packed and moved toward the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Trini moved over to her own bag, grabbing a change of clothes just as Kimberly came walking out of the bathroom. She moved past her, closing the door behind her as she picked up the remaining clean cloth in front of her, dipping it into the bucket of cold water. She moved it across her body, scrubbing the dirt from her skin. As she reached her neck, she moved a little more carefully, feeling a tinge of pain as she wiped away the remnants of dried blood from the cuts on her neck. She dipped the cloth back into the water, wringing it out before continuing her routine. She shuddered as the cool cloth brushed against the flushed skin of her face, relieved to feel her blush fade away with the dirt. When she was finished, she placed the cloth back on the small table in front of her, moving to change into her new clothes before making her way back out of the room. As she made her way back into the bedroom, she noticed that Kimberly had already left. She put her old clothes back into her bag and headed back out into the main living quarters where the others were waiting for her. 

“It’s about time crazy girl,” Zack griped. “Rocky here was just telling us a little more about the festival. Get ready to dance the night away with me,” he smirked, moving his body in what one could only assume was his attempt at dancing.

“Thanks for the offer Zack, but I’ll have to pass,” she laughed at Zack’s fake outrage, following Rocky and the others as they made their way out of the house. 

“What you don’t like dancing?” he asked as he caught up to the group.

“No, I do. Just not with you. I’ve seen you dance before Zack. Trust me I am good,” she laughed, the others joining in as they listened in on their banter. 

“You’ll regret it.” She shook her head, clapping a hand on his back with a grin as they made their way back through town. It didn’t take them long before they arrived at a beautiful setup with dozens of long tables spread throughout that were covered in flowers. She could faintly smell the sweet, delicate scent of whatever flower was dispersed around them, but it was hard to combat the overwhelming, delicious scent of whatever was roasting nearby. 

“This is so pretty,” Kimberly marveled, picking up a flower from one of the tables. They reminded her of the sunflowers they kept in her castle back home. 

“That’s called an Azargoon, it’s our national flower,” Rocky replied. 

“They are gorgeous.” Kim smiled, carefully placing the flower back on the table. 

“I thought you said there would be dancing?” Zack asked, slightly disappointed at the lack of energy around them. 

“There will be. We start off with a feast first. Then once everyone is good and full, we break out the spirits and celebrate the night,” he finished, Zack’s interest rising even more at the mention of spirits.

“Spirits, huh?” he asked, a smirk forming on his lips. 

“More than you can possibly drink,” Rocky answered.

“We will see about that now won’t we,” Zack chuckled, a mischievous look plastered on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows at Trini. 

“I mean feel free to drink as much as you want, but you won’t want to miss the huge bonfire we have at the end of the night. It’s my favorite part of the festival. Watching the sunrise in front of a huge fire with all of your friends. There is nothing quite like it.”

“You think they’ll be able to keep up with us, crazy girl?” Zack whispered to Trini as they started to take their seats at the table for the feast.

“Guess we will just have to find out,” she replied with a smirk. She sat down in the remaining spot next to Zack, the other side already taken by Billy. Across from Billy sat Jason, followed by Rocky, leaving Kimberly directly across from Trini. 

“They don’t know what they are in for,” Zack laughed and Trini couldn’t help but join in, her own excitement for the night soaring as she tried to appreciate the possibility of a much needed night of fun. It had been too long for all of them and with everything that they had been through in the past couple weeks, they needed a reason to let loose. 

“To debauchery,” she whispered to Zack as she held her cup up to him. He nodded his head, mouthing the word in response so their company wouldn’t hear before clinking his cup against hers. This was their ritual before any of their crazy, drunken adventures. A promise of sorts to live their lives to the fullest for the night. A ritual that almost always led to regrets, but once the words were said, there was no turning back. The night was young, but from this moment on it was guaranteed to be full of debauchery.


	5. Azargan Festival

“What exactly are those?” Kim asked, nodding her head at a platter of some type of pastry as she popped another piece of it in her mouth. 

“Those are called donuts. It’s a popular dessert choice in Azar,” Rocky responded, his gaze meeting Kim’s for only a moment before he turned to look back at whatever he was focused on before.

“They are delicious,” Trini hummed, picking up another piece herself and popping it into her mouth. 

“You know how we were talking about the Shiba’s earlier?” Rocky asked suddenly, his gaze fixated on a shaggy-haired boy who was seated at a table across the room. “If you want more answers on the power coin, I would start asking there,” he finished, nodding his head in the boy’s direction. The group turned their heads to look at the boy he was talking about, making a mental note of what he looked like. 

“How are we even supposed to talk to him? Tonight is hardly the setting to start asking questions,” Kim responded. 

“I can take you to the Shiba house tomorrow if you guys want. No guarantee that they will actually talk, but it’s worth a shot.” 

“Yeah, that would be great. Can’t hurt anything to ask,” Jason nodded, taking another bite of food. 

Trini held back from the conversation, happy to just sit back and listen. She blindly reached her fork forward to grab another bite of the donut, only to feel it brush against something hard. She turned to see Kim’s fork land on the same final piece left on the platter. She met Kim’s eyes, seeing a twinge of a challenge in them as Kim moved to take it from her, but Trini was quicker than she gave her credit for. Kim’s fork was left empty as Trini flashed a smug smirk at her, raising the fork slowly towards her mouth to rub it in. Just as she was about to put the final piece in her mouth, she felt her arm get pinned down to the table. She looked up in shock as she saw a very pleased looking Kimberly quickly grab the last piece from her fork and pop it into her mouth. 

“Hey, that was mine,” Trini whined.

“Weird. I didn’t see Trini Gomez written on it,” she said, her eyes scrunching up in fake confusion.

“You’re so funny,” Trini deadpanned, not impressed with Kimberly at all.

“Thank you,” Kimberly laughed, flashing a bright smile.

“I wasn’t being serious,” Trini grumbled.

“So, you were lying? Well, that’s just not nice, Trini. Where are your manners?” Kim laughed, seeing Trini huff in frustration.

“Where’s everybody going?” Zack asked, distracting the girls from their playful banter as they noticed the large groups of people leaving their tables. 

“They are probably moving towards the bar set up at the tavern,” Rocky responded, glancing around at the dwindling crowd around them.

“And why aren’t we?” Zack asked, eager to get to the action. 

“I mean we can if that’s what you guys want.”

“That’s what we want,” Zack answered hastily. He quickly stood up from the table, looking at the others expectantly as they all followed his lead, standing up from the table and following Rocky towards the next setup. They marveled as he brought them to a huge Tavern that was bustling with people, some of which were already clearly intoxicated. The actual bar inside was huge as it spanned across almost the entire length of the building, leaving plenty of space to quickly grab a drink. 

“Feel free to get what you want. This is the only night of the year that everything is free,” Rocky said and that was all Zack needed to hear before he made a beeline for the bar, bringing back two small glasses of an amber colored liquid. He handed one to Trini, clinking his glass against hers as they both downed it in one sip.

“Ugh, what was that?” Trini asked, her face contorted in disgust as she placed the glass back on the bar, flagging down one of the several barmaids to try and get something to get the taste out of her mouth.

“Don’t worry about it,” Zack laughed, ordering another from the barmaid accompanied with a tall glass of ale. Trini put in her own order, handing one of the two glasses she received to Kimberly, who accepted it with a smile.

“How did you know that’s what I was going to order?” she asked, taking a sip of the mead that Trini had handed her. 

“That’s what you were drinking back in Angel Grove, so I just kind of figured that’s what you typically drink,” she said taking a sip of her own ale.

“You remembered?” Kim asked, her face lighting up as her lips curled to form a small smile.

“I get paid to be observant. It’s no big deal,” Trini shrugged, taking another sip of her drink to try and hide the light blush that was creeping across her cheeks. 

“This feels strange doesn’t it?” Kimberly hummed.

“What do you mean?” 

“We’ve been on the run for weeks now and we have no idea what is going on in Astraea, yet here we are celebrating like nothing happened.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Trini responded, earning a curious glance from Kimberly.

“I take it you have a different perspective? Why am I not surprised,” Kimberly chuckled.

“I don’t know I guess I just don’t see tonight as us pretending that all of that never happened. In fact, I think we needed this to remind ourselves of what we are fighting to keep. A world run by Rita would never look like this and that’s not really a world I am interested in living in. Look at all of the people in here, Kim. Have you ever seen this many different groups of people celebrating in the same space?” she asked, motioning at the vastly diverse crowd of people surrounding them.

“No, I haven’t,” Kim murmured, glancing at the people around her and for the first time actually noticing how different they all were. There were nobles dancing with people who were clearly without means, girls dancing with girls, guys dancing with guys, and every variation in between. 

“For someone who has been living a life she never asked for, I would say tonight is your perfect opportunity to actually be yourself. Do what you want to do for a change, without any outside influences,” Trini finished. 

“You want me to do what I want to do?” 

“Yes, Kim. Don’t hold yourself back, enjoy this night while it lasts.” 

“Alright, well since you said so,” she smirked, grabbing Trini’s hand and dragging her towards the middle of the room. 

“What are you doing?” Trini asked, planting her feet on the floor and slipping her hand away from Kimberly to stop her from dragging her any further. 

“I want to dance,” she responded simply. 

“Okay, go dance then. Why do you need to drag me with you? Do you want an audience or something?”

“No, I want to dance with you,” Kimberly clarified, taking advantage of Trini’s moment of shock to grab her hand again and attempt to drag her towards the center of the floor. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait Kim,” Trini stopped again just as they were about to reach Kimberly’s destination. “You want to dance with m-me?” she stuttered, her heart pounding in her chest at just the thought of dancing with Kim. 

“Yes, that is what I said,” Kim laughed.

“Why me?” 

“Well, I’m not dancing with Jason because that boy can’t dance to save his life. Based on what you said about Zack, I would say he is as skilled as Jason at best. That leaves you or Billy and you were closer to me,” she shrugged, tugging firmly on Trini’s hand, but she didn’t budge. 

“But I don’t dance,” Trini murmured, her face bright red.

“Oh, don’t be so shy, Trini. I’m sure you dance just fine.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t, I said that I don’t dance. Especially not this sober,” she said shaking her head. 

“Alright, that’s okay. I guess I can find something else to do,” Kim mumbled, her shoulders dropping as she released Trini’s hand. 

“I know what you’re doing Kim.”

“What are you talking about?” she replied, a glimmer of mischief flashing across her eyes.

“You’re trying to make me feel guilty so that I change my mind.”

“Is it working?” Kim asked her eyebrows raising in an almost seductive way as she flashed that confident smirk that made Trini’s heart flutter every time. 

“Kim I am not nearly drunk enough for that.”

“We can change that,” Kim said, taking Trini’s hand again and leading her towards the bar. When they reached the bar, Kimberly held her hand up to get the barmaid’s attention. 

“Where did you two disappear to?” Zack asked, sauntering up to Trini’s side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as the barmaid approached Kimberly. 

“Can I have two of whatever is your strongest drink,” Kimberly asked and the barmaid nodded, pulling two glasses out as she turned to grab from a clear bottle at the top of the bar. 

“Make that three,” Zack called after her, holding up four fingers in the air as he finished what was left in his current glass. 

“Zack, don’t you think you’re going a little fast?” Trini warned. She knew better than anyone else how quickly Zack’s drunken bubble could burst if he was being too hasty. 

“If you have to ask me that then you’re clearly not going fast enough,” he replied, his sentence punctuated with the tiniest hiccup. 

“He has a point,” Kim smiled, handing Trini one of the three glasses that the barmaid had brought back. 

“Don’t you encourage him,” Trini grumbled, lifting the glass to her nose to try and distinguish whatever they were about to be drinking. She regretted it immediately as it quickly burned her nostrils. 

“You’re in a mood. What did you do to her?” Zack asked, taking his own glass as he tried to focus his blurry vision on Kim. 

“She’s upset because I asked her to dance with me.”

“Why won’t you dance with her?” Zack asked, snapping his head towards his best friend. 

“First of all, you didn’t ask. Second of all, I am nowhere near drunk enough to be willing to dance.”

“That’s what these are for,” Kim hummed, picking up her own glass and holding it up towards the other two.

“What exactly is this. It smells like burnt tar,” Trini grumbled, her nose scrunching up at the thought of the smell. 

“No idea, but it will get you one step closer to dancing and that’s all I care about,” she finished, clinking her glass against Trini’s and Zack’s and downing it in one long swig. The taste almost made her gag, but she was pleased when she felt a surge of warmth spread throughout her entire body. Whatever they were given was stronger than anything she had ever had before and that was exactly what she needed right now. 

“That was repulsive,” Trini choked, her lips puckering as she slammed her empty glass on the bar. 

“You’re no fun. I’ll gladly dance with you Kim if you want to stop wasting your efforts on this grump,” Zack smirked, wrapping his other arm around Kim’s shoulder. 

“That’s alright Zack. One more of these should do the trick,” she said, holding up two fingers at the barmaid who quickly returned with two more of the repulsive concoction. 

“I’m not doing another one of those,” Trini whined, shaking her head as Kim tried to hand her the new glass. 

“Come on, Trini. It wasn’t that bad,” Kim lied.

“It tasted exactly like it smelled.”

“But it gets the job done quick and you can’t deny that,” she hummed, forcing the drink into Trini’s hand. 

“Like I said I’ll dance with you Kim,” Zack interjected, reaching to try and take the drink from Trini, but getting his hand slapped by Kim in the process. 

“Trini, I really want to take your advice and do what I want tonight, but you’re making it really difficult. At this point, I might have to take up Zack on his offer.”

“Kim, I don’t think you understand how bad Zack actually is.”

“What other choice do I have,” Kim sighed dramatically, her lips pouting as she swirled her drink around in her hand. 

“Okay, fine,” Trini huffed, downing her drink quickly and grabbing Kim’s empty hand, beginning their journey back towards the center of the floor. 

“Thanks Zack,” Kim chuckled, handing her untouched drink over to him as she let herself get dragged towards the dance floor. When they finally reached their destination, Trini’s body stalled awkwardly as she suddenly became very aware of the warm alcohol induced vibrations that were starting to flood her body. Her body involuntarily swayed a little, which caused Kimberly to laugh uncontrollably. 

“Trini, please tell me you’re going to do more than just sway,” Kim finished, taking a sharp breath as she was finally able to stop her laughter. 

“This isn’t me trying to dance,” Trini huffed, which only made Kim’s laughter return. 

“Are you drunk already?” Kim smiled, her head tilting to the side as she waited for a response. 

“No, I’m not drunk. Just feeling it a little,” she mumbled, trying to stop her body from swaying. 

“That didn’t take much,” Kim teased.

“I’m not drunk,” Trini grumbled.

“Whatever you say. Now are we going to stand here awkwardly swaying or are we actually going to dance? Because I can see Zack from here and he looks like he is ready if you want to watch the two of us,” Kim said, exaggeratingly straining her neck as she looked in Zack’s direction. Trini didn’t say anything in response as she couldn’t help but feel her insecurities rise around Kim. “Alright suit yourself,” she said, making her way to move past Trini and head back in Zack’s direction. 

“Wait,” Trini breathed, catching Kim’s arm as she tried to move past her. “I just,” she trailed her eyes darting towards the ground as Kim stared intently at her, “It’s been a while and I don’t want to look stupid.”

“Then let’s start off simple,” Kim hummed, her hands grabbing onto Trini’s as she started to sway to the music, coaxing Trini to sway with her. The first few movements were fairly rigid as Trini let Kim’s motions pull her body to the beat. After a few more sways, she closed her eyes focusing on the music and letting her body mirror Kim’s instead of simply following. 

“There we go. Just keep following the beat,” Kim smiled, picking up her movements as she started to dance a little faster. Trini tried her best to focus on the music instead of her nagging insecurities. She slowly started to match Kim’s movements, picking up her pace as she became more comfortable. As her pace picked up, she felt Kim’s hands slip away from her own, leaving them cold and empty. The slight twinge of disappointment she felt didn’t last long when she looked up to meet Kim’s eyes, noticing the infectious, nose crinkling smile that was plastered on her face. Trini had never seen Kim as happy and free as she was in this moment dancing in front of her. Her body swayed in perfect rhythm and the dim light of the tavern made her skin glow in a way that was simply breathtaking. Trini let herself give in completely, her movements almost as good as Kimberly’s as her hips instinctively took over. As they continued to dance, Trini couldn’t help but inch closer to Kim as more people had started to crowd the dance floor. 

“Why were you so shy when you can dance like that?” Kimberly breathed leaning towards Trini who was now only a few inches away. Kim’s hot breath danced across the skin on Trini’s neck sending a rush coursing through her body as her head started to spin, which she assumed was a result of the drinks she had earlier. 

“Hey if it isn’t my two favorite girls,” Zack beamed as he made his way over next to them, followed closely by Jason and Billy. “Got room for three more?”

“Normally I would say no, but I’ll make an exception for you three,” Kimberly smiled, laughing as she saw Zack attempt to gyrate his hips to the beat, but failing miserably. As the song finished, Kim was still laughing at the awkward dancing from all three of the boys. 

“You were definitely the right choice,” she whispered to Trini, motioning towards the boys with a smirk. 

“I think I need a breather,” Trini responded quickly, feeling the blood rush to her head as she inched away from Kimberly.

“Alright, we can take a break,” Kim replied, stopping her movements as she made to follow Trini. 

“That’s okay Kim. You can keep dancing with the boys. I just need a moment.”

“You’re coming back though, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be back,” she smiled, moving away from the group and making her way back towards the bar. She ordered a drink, running a hand through her hair as she tried to calm herself down from all of the dancing. Just as she took the first sip of her drink, Zack had slid into the seat next to her.

“I haven’t seen you this high spirited in years,” Zack said, a lopsided grin emerging across his face. 

“Well, it takes a lot of spirit to get me this high spirited,” she joked, taking another swig of her ale. 

“That. Or a girl,” he teased a knowing look on his face as he glanced briefly in Kim’s direction. 

“What are you on about,” she asked, her brow furrowing. 

“Oh nothing,” he replied with his signature smirk. 

“Enjoying the party?” a woman said interrupting Trini as she attempted to respond to Zack. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled up in a braid and she dressed completely different from the other Azarian women. Her style was slightly masculine, but still overwhelmingly feminine. Her eyes locked onto Zacks for a brief moment before she turned to look at Trini. Her gaze was intense and unwavering. Her confident stare and cocky smirk were almost as intoxicating as the ale in Trini’s cup. 

“Yeah, we are,” Zack said shaking Trini from her thoughts. “You guys really know how to party.”

“Oh you haven’t seen anything yet,” she said with a wink, turning around and walking towards the bar just as the other three made their way back over to the remaining pair. 

“She was totally into me,” Zack gushed staring towards the mysterious girl as she walked away. 

“Please, you don’t have a chance,” Trini scoffed, shaking her head. 

“Guys this is the best night of my life,” Billy beamed, stumbling as he clapped his arm across Jason’s shoulders. Jason laughed, placing his own arm around Billy’s waist to steady him. Billy surprisingly didn’t flinch at the sudden physical contact. 

“What are you two arguing about now,” Kimberly asked, catching her breath as she focused her attention on Zack and Trini.

“It’s not an argument if I’m right,” Zack corrected and Trini laughed in response.

“Tell me Zack, how can you be right when you haven’t even proven it?” Trini questioned, her brow raised as she stared at Zack.

“Proven what?” Kim asked looking between the two as she motioned for another drink. 

“Zack thinks that the girl standing over there by the bar is into him,” Trini responded, pointing in the direction of the mysterious girl. 

“Okay?” Kimberly asked, glancing at the girl at the bar before turning back to Zack and Trini.

“She’s definitely not,” Trini chuckled. 

“And what makes you so confident? She was giving me the look,” Zack said demonstrating the look he was referring to, which caused Kim to almost choke on the small sip of mead she was in the middle of taking. 

“She was not giving you the look. She barely looked at you! She was looking at me the entire time,” Trini replied, her own smile forming from her alcohol induced smugness. 

“Oh, so you think she was into you?” Zack scoffed.

“Maybe I do,” Trini challenged.

“Well then there’s only one solution,” Zack said, a knowing smile on his face that Trini knew all too well.

“You’re on.” 

“Until the end of the night?” Zack asked and Trini nodded, grasping his extended hand with her own and shaking it. 

“I only need an hour,” Trini smirked, patting Zack on the shoulder before making her way towards the mysterious girl. 

“Who said you could go first?” Zack whined as she walked off. The remaining four moved to take a seat at one of the nearby tables. Kimberly and Zack sat on the bench with the best view of Trini while Jason and Billy took their seats across from them. 

“Do all Kingdoms party like this?” Billy asked, a hiccup escaping his lips as he laid his empty cup on the table. 

“This is definitely one of the better ones I’ve been to,” Jason chuckled. “Wouldn’t you agree Kim?”

“Yeah definitely,” Kimberly responded simply, her finger trailing around the rim of her cup as she tried to keep herself distracted. Try as she might her gaze kept gravitating towards what was happening at the bar. Trini was leaning in towards the girl in front of her, whispering something that made the girl laugh. Kimberly’s fingers snaked around her cup, gripping tighter as she watched the girl slide her hand up Trini’s arm. Kim held her breath as the girl leaned closer to Trini, slowly closing the gap between them. When their lips finally met Kimberly quickly looked away, her hand knocking her cup as she turned. 

“Not again!” Zack yelled clearly observing the same events that Kimberly had. 

“What is up with you two?” Jason asked confused with their strange behavior. 

“She always wins it's infuriating,” Zack huffed slinking back in his chair as Trini made her way back to the table with the girl in tow. 

“Hey guys this is Kira,” Trini started, a cocky smirk erupting across her face as she sat down next to Billy at the table. Kira quickly slid in next to her, wrapping her arms around one of Trini’s. “Kira, this is Billy, Jason, Zack, and Kim,” Trini finished, her gaze lingering on Kimberly, noticing her sudden cold demeanor. The boys all exchanged their greetings, Zack sounding like a wounded dog as he did. Kim tried to calm herself down, but for some reason it was too hard for her to watch this girl all over Trini this close. She could feel a lump form in her throat and her eyes started to prickle with inevitable tears. 

“I need another drink,” Kim grumbled, standing up quickly and turning away from the group to hide her face. She quickly walked towards the bar, taking a deep, shaky breath as she was handed another drink. She took one long swig but was interrupted by a sudden presence on her right.

“Are you okay?” Trini asked taking the seat next to Kimberly. 

“I’m fine,” Kim sighed, her eyes locked onto the cup in front of her. 

“Why won’t you look at me?” 

“Why does it matter?” Kim responded gruffly. 

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset with me,” Trini said feeling herself quickly sober up. 

“You’re just not who I thought you were.”

“Oh, so this is about Kira?” Trini asked, her tone suddenly sharp. “I didn’t realize you were so close-minded. Clearly, you’re not who I thought you were.”

“This has nothing to do with her,” Kimberly sighed, resting her head in her hand on the bar counter as she could feel her head start to swirl.

“Oh no? Because you didn’t have a problem with me until you saw me with a girl. It’s going to be a little hard to convince me that the two aren’t related, Kim.” 

“You’re unbelievable,” Kim breathed, turning just enough so that their eyes could actually meet. 

“I’m unbelievable? Are we having the same conversation?” Trini asked, her hand gripping the counter in front of her as she unsuccessfully tried to keep her tone calm. Kim huffed turning away from Trini to walk away as she felt her eyes sting from the promise of fresh tears. “What is your problem?” Trini yelled, grabbing Kim’s arm to stop her from walking away. 

“Trini let me go now,” Kim warned. Trini reluctantly loosened her grip, letting Kim shake her arm out from her and walk away. 

Just as soon as Kim walked away, Trini felt a pair of arms circle around her waist. She turned to see Kira back by her side, a flirtatious smile on her face as she leaned towards Trini to steal another kiss. Before their lips connected, Trini pulled back taking Kira by surprise. 

“Sorry, I just can’t do this right now,” Trini apologized, picking up her half-full cup and finishing it in one long swig.

“Is everything okay?” Kira asked, withdrawing her arms from around Trini’s waist as she saw the hurt in her eyes. 

“I have no idea,” Trini sighed, motioning for another drink from the barmaid. 

“You like her, don’t you?” Kira asked, catching Trini off guard.

“Kim?” she asked and Kira nodded. “I mean, yeah she’s my friend,” Trini shrugged, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as she focused her attention on the cup in front of her. 

“But you want more than that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Trini said shaking her head. 

“Yes, you do,” Kira responded, her tone serious as she remained persistent. 

“It doesn’t really matter what I want,” Trini sighed, taking another long sip of her drink.

“Why doesn’t it?” 

“Because there is no world where we would ever be more than friends.”

“Why not?”

“First of all, she’s a…,” Trini trailed, panicking as she almost let Kimberly’s real identity slip. “She’s uh not interested in girls,” she finished, relaxing as Kira didn’t seem to catch her blunder.

“How do you know that? Have you asked her?” 

“No, but I don’t have to. I just know.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

“What are you talking about?” Trini asked, her gaze finally meeting Kira’s. 

“Trini, I’m not blind. I saw you two talking here and I saw the way she looked at you. I know that look when I see it and she is definitely not as cut and dry as you seem to think she is.”

“It still wouldn’t matter. She’s too good for me,” Trini whispered, dipping her head down as she spoke. Kira placed a careful hand under Trini’s chin, moving her head so that she was facing her. 

“Where is that confident girl who came up to me at the bar tonight?” Kira asked, but Trini shook her head. 

“I didn’t know you and you didn’t know me. It’s easy to be confident when there’s nothing to go off of.”

“You’re selling yourself short. Just talk to her, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“I don’t want to ruin our friendship. I like having her in my life and I don’t want to mess that up.”

“Who said that you would mess that up?”

“Feelings change things,” Trini replied simply, barely loud enough for Kira to hear. 

“True, but that doesn’t mean the change won’t be good,” she finished leaning over to give Trini a quick hug. “She’s over there if you want to get your answers,” she finished, breaking away and walking off. Trini looked in the direction that Kira motioned towards and sighed, seeing Kimberly alone at the other end of the bar. She stood up, draining the remainder of her drink for courage before making her way towards Kimberly. 

“Hey,” Trini spoke softly, breaking Kimberly’s daze as she turned to look at the person responsible for the interruption. Trini’s heart broke as she saw Kim’s red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. She wanted to reach out to comfort her but thought better of it as she kept her hands firmly by her side. “Is this seat open?” she asked tentatively, waiting for Kimberly’s subtle nod before taking the seat next to her. 

“I’m sorry,” Trini started, her gaze locked onto Kimberly’s somber eyes. “It felt like you were attacking my character and it hurt me because I really care about you Kim. But there was no excuse for how I reacted. I never meant to hurt you,” she finished, placing a gentle hand on Kimberly’s forearm. 

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Kim breathed, her voice shaking as she spoke. “You didn’t do anything wrong. She seems like a nice enough girl and I don’t want to ruin your night. We should do what we want tonight right? So, go enjoy your night Trini, don’t worry about me. I will be fine.” 

“I’m not interested in her,” Trini replied, Kim’s eyes widening ever so slightly as she spoke. 

“You seemed pretty interested earlier.”

“She’s actually really great, but it’s not like it would go anywhere. I don’t have feelings for her. I’m actually fixated on someone else,” she admitted, seeing Kim’s face drop slightly.

“Oh, why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“I don’t know, I guess I wasn’t really being honest with myself until tonight.”

“What changed?”

“Kira and I were talking after you and I had that argument and she kind of helped me realize that my heart isn’t open to anyone else,” Trini responded, feeling a little insecure as she could practically feel Kimberly’s gaze burning into her skin. 

“So, what’s she like?” Kim asked suddenly, shaking Trini from her train of thought. 

“What?”

“The mystery girl. What’s she like?”

“She’s beautiful,” Trini started, a huge smile forming on her lips as she spoke. “She’s brave, compassionate, smart, strong, and so determined. Every time I look at her, I’m captivated by how full of life she is. She holds herself to such a high standard and she doesn’t like to let people in, but when she allows herself to be vulnerable, she’s just as breathtaking.”

“She sounds amazing,” Kim hummed, a small smile forming on her lips. 

“She is,” Trini breathed, her own lips matching Kim’s in a smile of her own.

“So have you told her how you feel?”

“Uh, no not exactly,” Trini stammered, her cheeks flushing red.

“Why not?” 

“It’s complicated.”

“What’s complicated?”

“Well, we don’t exactly come from the same background. Someone like me would never end up with someone like her,” Trini sighed, averting her gaze towards her clasped hands in front of her. 

“If where you come from is a reason for her to not be with you, then she doesn’t deserve you anyway. You’re one of a kind Trini Gomez,” Kim smiled, catching Trini’s breath as she suddenly felt her former alcohol-induced confidence reemerge. 

“Kim, I…” Trini started, pausing as she tried to think of the right words to say, but the words never came. As she opened her mouth to finish her thoughts, she was cut off by an arm roughly wrapping around her shoulders from behind.

“There you two are! We’ve been looking all over for you,” Zack said, his eyes slightly glazed over and a dopey grin on his face. Trini’s shoulders slumped as her opportunity quickly slipped away. 

“How much have you had to drink Zack,” Trini grumbled, not impressed with her best friend’s poor timing. 

“Just a c-couple,” he answered, staggering as he moved to take a seat next to Trini. 

“Were you going to say something?” Kim asked, breaking Trini’s attention away from Zack and the others who took their respective seats next to him. 

“Uh… no it wasn’t anything important,” Trini sighed, her former surge of confidence gone with the fleeting moment.

“Is this not the best night of your lives?” Rocky asked, clapping his hand on Zack’s back as he approached them.

“Definitely in the top five,” Zack said, blissfully unaware of the daggers in Trini’s eyes as she glared at him. 

“Well, the night is young. We’ll make sure to bump that up to number one by the end of the night,” he smiled, downing the remainder of whatever was in his cup. “We should get moving though. We want to make sure we get a good spot at the fire.” The boys were quick to follow his lead, standing up and clumsily making their way for the door. As the girls followed after them, Trini carefully grabbed Kim’s arm to hold her back from the boys. 

“Kim. Are we…,” she trailed, her eyes finding it difficult to meet Kim’s. “Are we okay?”

“Of course we are Trini,” Kim smiled, placing her hands on both sides of Trini’s shoulders, forcing her to finally meet her eyes. “We are still friends.” Trini felt that familiar feeling of disappointment as she repeated that last word over and over in her head. She wanted nothing more than to tell Kim what she really wanted, but there wasn’t enough alcohol in the room to get her to have the confidence to speak her mind again tonight. She sighed, following Kimberly and the boys as they made their way across a part of the town that they hadn’t been to yet. She noticed the huge fire in the distance and it didn’t take long for them to meet up with the few people who had already made their way there. 

“We got lucky. It’s usually more packed at this hour,” Rocky hummed, taking a seat next to Billy and Jason on one of the logs dispersed around the fire. Trini sat next to Kimberly on the log next to the boys as Zack decided he didn’t need the extra comfort and instead plopped on the ground between the girls and the other boys. They were quiet as they listened in to the conversation that was being discussed around the group, only breaking their silence to laugh at some parts of the stories that were being shared from previous festivals. The sky was now pitch black, illuminated only by the moon and stars, and there was a large crowd of people around them as the influx of people had started to slow down now that the party at the tavern had come to an end. Trini zoned out as she looked at the beauty of the night sky, searching for her favorite constellation. As she continued her search, she noticed Kimberly’s body shaking in the corner of her eye. She turned her head so that her attention was focused entirely on Kimberly, who hadn’t noticed her gaze as she was still transfixed on the stories that were being passed around the fire. Trini slipped her arms out from the jacket she was wearing, feeling the sudden chill of the night air on her arms as she wrapped it loosely around Kim’s shoulders, breaking her attention away from the stories to meet Trini’s gaze. 

“Well, aren’t you the chivalrous one?” Kim smiled, wrapping the jacket closer around herself. 

“Couldn’t be. Didn’t you hear chivalry is dead?” Trini responded, trying to keep her tone as serious as possible, but failing as her small smirk betrayed her. 

“Good thing you’re here to keep it alive. Mystery girl doesn’t even know that the protector of chivalry is pining after her heart. How tragic,” Kim teased, playfully bumping her shoulder into Trini’s as Trini couldn’t help the blush from quickly forming on her cheeks. They fell back into a comfortable silence, content to listen to everybody else again. After a few more minutes, Trini found herself losing focus as the chill in the air was starting to get worse the longer the night went on. She folded her arms across her chest, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try and ease the chill from the air. Kim caught a glimpse of Trini’s actions as she was trying to follow along to the newest story. She scooted closer to Trini and in one swift motion, she wrapped the jacket so that it was covering them both as best as it could catching Trini off guard. She felt Kim’s arm brush against her own with the slightest bit of contact and it made her hair stand on edge as a sudden pulse radiated across her entire body. 

“As fun as this is, I don’t think I’m going to last much longer,” Kimberly whispered, smiling as she noticed that Zack was passed out on the ground next to them. Trini followed her gaze, shaking her head at how ridiculous Zack looked sprawled out on the ground. 

“I think it may be time to head back,” Trini said, taking the lead as she stood up to quietly make her way over to the boys, instantly missing the warmth that came from being that close to Kimberly. 

“Guys I think we should start heading back. I mean Zack is already passed out,” she started, keeping her voice low as she motioned towards her best friend. Jason and Billy nodded their heads as they glanced in Zack’s direction, shifting slightly on the log as they made to stand up. 

“You guys head back and get some rest. I’m going to stay out here for a while longer,” Rocky replied, trying his best to keep his voice low. 

“You sure?” Trini asked, taking one of Zack’s arms and shaking it lightly to try and wake him up. 

“Yeah, don’t want to miss out on my favorite part, you know?” he finished, flashing a grin as he turned back to face the fire.

“Thank you, for everything,” Trini replied, shaking a little harder until Zack finally woke up. His eyes frantically searched his surroundings until they landed on Trini. His goofy smile returned as he was still clearly feeling the effects of the massive amount of alcohol he consumed throughout the night. Rocky nodded his head, laughing softly when he saw Trini drag a staggering Zack to his feet, pulling him back in the direction of Rocky’s house. The walk back wasn’t as bad as Trini had expected, especially considering she had to help steady Zack with the help of Jason on more than one occasion. As they walked into the house, she let Jason and Billy take hold of Zack as they walked towards their shared room. 

“Are you sure you guys can handle him?” she asked, watching them struggle to guide Zack towards their room. 

“Yeah, we’ve got him. Don’t worry,” Jason replied, his eyes widening as Zack’s head bumped into the side of the doorway to their room. Jason flashed a guilty smile at Trini before the three of them disappeared into their room. 

“That boy sure can drink,” Kim hummed, leaning against the doorway to the bedroom they were sharing with Trini’s jacket still loosely draped across her shoulders. 

“Unfortunately,” Trini sighed, following after Kim as she turned to walk into the room. 

“Can’t say the same about you,” she teased, pulling up the blankets on her side and sliding underneath. 

“I wasn’t drunk,” Trini groaned, shaking her head as she followed Kimberly’s actions, making herself comfortable in the bed. 

“Whatever you say, Trini Gomez,” Kim whispered flashing a playful smile before turning so that she was on her side facing away from Trini. As much as she liked to pretend that it annoyed her, Trini couldn’t help but feel content even when Kimberly was teasing her. It had been a long time since she had let anyone get close enough to have this kind of effect on her. She was terrified, but she was addicted to the way that she felt when she was around Kimberly. At this point, there was no turning back. She knew that she was in too deep and she had to accept it.


	6. Kingdom of Vayu

When Trini woke up in the morning, she was surprised to see that Kim was already up and gone from the room. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, stretching out her limbs in the process as she stood up. She could hear some faint chatter coming from the living quarters so she slowly made her way towards it, rubbing at her eyes as she tried to fully wake herself up. 

“And then there was one,” Jason chuckled seeing Trini trudge over to them before collapsing into one of the empty chairs between Billy and Kim. 

“How’d you sleep?” Rocky asked, handing Trini a mug of brown liquid that she assumed was coffee. 

“Oh, she slept just fine,” Kim laughed as Trini took a sip from the mug, confirming her suspicions that it was coffee. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Trini grumbled, turning her attention towards Kim. 

“You kept me up all night with your flailing around. Whoever you were dreaming about definitely got their ass kicked,” Kim chuckled. 

“I don’t remember dreaming about anything.”

“You never do after a night of debauchery,” Zack mumbled with a smirk that disappeared in a matter of seconds as he gripped at his head with a wince. He moved to take the last open seat and collapsed in a dramatic heap, rubbing at his temple. 

“I won’t even ask how you slept,” Rocky mumbled, pouring another mug of coffee and handing it over to Zack. 

“So Rocky, are you still up for bringing us to see Jayden?” Jason asked. 

“Yeah, of course whenever you guys are ready. Which looks like it might be a minute,” he trailed, staring at Zack who had downed his coffee in one long swig and immediately buried his head into his arms. 

“We can leave now. He’ll be fine,” Trini said, motioning lazily in Zack’s direction. 

“You sure?”

“Positive,” she finished, standing up and tugging at Zack until he was standing next to her, grumbling something indistinguishable. 

“Alright, well follow me,” Rocky said, making his way out the front door as the rest of the group followed after him. Trini lingered towards the back as she had the task of dragging Zack along with her. When they made it through the door Zack quickly stopped as he covered his eyes from the blaring sun. 

“Nope, you’re coming,” Trini grunted, tugging at him hard until he came tumbling out of the house. “You did this to yourself,” she mumbled, shaking her head.

“I thought we were a team,” he whined, pulling his arm away from her, but following the rest of the group nonetheless. They made their way through the town until they stopped in front of a large house that was separated from the rest of town in a much more secluded area. 

“Is this where he lives?” Billy asked, his mouth hanging open as he took in the size of the house.

“Yeah, this is the Shiba house. Probably the biggest one in town outside of the Palace of course,” he finished stopping at the front door and knocking on it a few times before taking a couple steps back. They waited a couple moments before a shaggy brown-haired boy that Trini recognized as the boy Rocky had pointed out to them last night answered the door. 

“Can I help you?” he asked, clearly confused as to why a group of strangers were standing outside his house. 

“Hey Jayden. Sorry to drop in on you like this, but these guys are out of town and they were wondering if they could talk to you for a bit?” 

“About what?”

“The power coin,” Rocky stated bluntly.

“Oh,” he paused his face showing the faintest bit of concern before he quickly put on a neutral smile. “Come on in. I don’t know how much help I’ll be though,” he said motioning for them to follow him as he stepped out of the doorway and walked towards a large table surrounded by chairs. The group trailed after him, following his lead as they each took a seat at the table. 

“Thank you, Jayden. I suppose I should introduce you guys. This is Jason, Billy, Kim, Trini, and Zack,” Rocky finished, motioning to each person as he introduced them. 

“Nice to meet you all. So, what exactly do you want to know?” Jayden started, nervously gulping down a sip of water as he waited for a response.

“Rocky was telling us about some of the rumors of your Kingdom and he mentioned that a lot of people think that your family has been tasked with defending one of the power coins,” Kim started tentatively. 

“Ah well you know how rumors are. I’ve heard quite a few different versions, but who knows which one has merit, if any of them have merit at all.”

“So, you have no idea where it is?” Trini asked, taking notice of how nervous Jayden’s body language suddenly seemed. 

“Not a clue, but it’s not here I can definitely tell you that much,” he replied with more certainty, something that Trini thought was strange. 

“Your home is beautiful by the way,” Trini started, trying her best to switch up the conversation. “This is a big place for one person. Do you live alone?” 

“Thank you, and no I live with a couple other friends.”

“I’ve heard you have a sister. Does she live here too?”

“Yeah, she does live here,” he gulped, his hands clasping together in front of him to stop himself from fidgeting. 

“Is she home now? I’d love to meet her. I’ve heard so many great things about her.”

“Uh no she isn’t home right now, she’s on one of her expeditions.”

“Expeditions?” Trini asked, her head tilting to the side as she tried her best to act like she was oblivious to the fact that Lauren wasn’t in Azar.

“Yeah, she uh, travels every now and then.”

“Darn, I was really hoping to get a chance to speak with her.”

“Will you be staying in Azar long?” Jayden asked, taking another sip of his water, his hands trembling the slightest bit as he did. 

“Uh, probably not. We don’t really stay in one place too long.”

“That’s a shame. I’ll have to mention you guys to her when she returns home.”

“Are you expecting her soon?”

“No, not for some time. You’ll probably be long gone before she makes her way back.”

“Maybe we will run into her on our travels then.”

“Possibly,” he replied simply, trying his best to keep his face neutral.

“So, I know that you don’t know anything about the power coin, but you must have a favorite rumor.”

“If you ask me, I’m not so sure they even exist. Sounds like another tale of buried treasure if I’m honest. Something to keep people distracted from more important things.”

“You don’t believe in the Power Rangers?”

“I don’t know what I believe in, but it does seem a little farfetched don’t you think?”

“I guess so,” Trini lied, not wanting to reveal that she already had a power coin in her pocket. There was a brief awkward silence between them until Jayden finally spoke up. 

“It has been really nice to meet you all, but I am going to have to cut this off a little short. My trainer will be here any moment now, so I need to get ready.”

“Okay, thank you for talking with us. It was nice to meet you too,” Trini replied, a slight tinge of disappointment washing over her as she didn’t get to pry for as long as she had wanted to. 

“Feel free to come back if you’re ever back in town again,” he called after them as they made their way out of the front door. 

“That was weird,” Kim whispered as they had made their way comfortably out of ear shot from the house.

“He was definitely hiding something,” Trini agreed, keeping her voice hushed even though they weren’t close enough to be heard.

“That was no help at all,” Jason sighed, catching up to the two girls as they all started to make their way back to Rocky’s house.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Trini replied. “He told us more than you’d think.”

“What do you mean?”

“He was nervous that whole time, which means he knows something that he obviously doesn’t want us to know. Not to mention he seemed very reluctant to talk about his sister. If you ask me, I would say that she’s the one we need to track down if we want to find this power coin.”

“How are we supposed to do that? He didn’t tell us anything.”

“I know and that’s the problem, but it’s not like we can stay here. Nobody has felt anything like I did when we were in Raijin. I think Jayden was telling the truth when he said the power coin wasn’t here, but I think he also meant it isn’t in Azar in general.”

“So, we just move onto the next Kingdom and hope we run into Lauren on the way?” Kim asked, her brows furrowing at the mere idea. 

“I don’t really see how we have any other choice. We have no leads, maybe we will find someone who knows something about where she might be.” 

“I guess you’re right. If we leave now the next closest Kingdom would be Vayu. It shouldn’t take too long to get there. They are probably the two closest Kingdoms geographically.”

“We still have some daylight left. I say we leave now.”

“If you guys are planning on leaving at least take a little something before you leave. You can’t have much left,” Rocky mentioned making his way into the house and heading straight for his cupboards. 

“You’ve already done so much for us. We really don’t want to burden you any more than we already have,” Trini urged.

“Nonsense. I can spare a little. At least enough to get you guys to Vayu.” He proceeded to rummage through his cupboard, pulling out a few items and handing it over to Billy as he stuffed it all into their bag. When he was satisfied, he turned towards the group as the rest of them had finished grabbing their personal belongings. 

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” Rocky laughed, rubbing at the back of his head like he had when they had first met. 

“For now. Thank you for everything Rocky, truly you’ve been a blessing,” Jason smiled, extending his hand out to meet Rocky’s with a vigorous shake. 

“Make sure to stop by if you ever make your way back.”

“Of course. Save us a spot at the next festival, yeah?” 

“Definitely,” he beamed, waving at them as they left the front door and moved towards the stables to fasten their horses. After a few moments they took to their new respective spots, Billy behind Jason and Kimberly behind Trini, leaving Zack to fasten their belongings behind him. Trini took the lead, grabbing the reins of her horse and lightly kicking her heels back, urging her horse to slowly make its way back through town. As they reached the center of town, she couldn’t help but notice something out of the corner of her eye that struck her as odd. Off in the distance there was someone dressed in dark green armor, something that clearly stood out to Trini amongst the sea of red that encompassed Azar. Whoever this person was, they seemed to be looking in their direction as if they were staring, which made Trini uncomfortable. She could feel the hairs raise on the back of her neck and arms as she stared back at this mysterious person, her instincts telling her that whatever they wanted had to be trouble. Knowing that her instincts were almost never wrong, she kicked back her heels to urge her horse to pick up the pace just as they were making their way through the main gate. Kim must have sensed Trini’s unease as she leaned over so that she could talk to Trini, her hands gripping the slightest bit tighter around Trini’s waist as she did. 

“Everything okay?” she whispered.

“Yeah, just don’t want to waste any time you know?” Trini lied, keeping her own concerns to herself for fear of scaring the group solely from her suspicions. They continued at a solid pace until the sun quickly started to set, cutting their first day of travel short as a result of their late start. They set up camp fairly quick, sharing some of the food that Rocky had supplied before drifting off to sleep. After two more mundane days of the same routine, the group had packed up their camp and set off again with the hopes of reaching Vayu before the setting sun. A couple hours into the day, Trini was still trying to keep her tired eyes open when she heard a sharp breath from behind her. 

“Whoa, what the hell is that?” Kim breathed, pulling one of her hands free from Trini’s waist to clutch at her chest. 

“What? Is something wrong?” Trini asked, craning her neck to try and look at Kim and immediately noticing the hand that was still clutched at her chest. “Are you okay?” she asked, her concern growing as she pulled back the reins to halt her horse. She turned to properly look at her just as Jason, Billy, and Zack had made their way up to the pair. 

“I just… feel weird,” Kim breathed, shaking her head as she tried to wrap her head around the new sensation. 

“You too?” Jason asked, his right hand resting on his stomach.

“Weird how?” Trini asked, suddenly realizing what this could mean.

“Like there’s something pulling from inside of me,” she mumbled, her eyes growing wide as the meaning seemed to dawn on her as she spoke the words.

“Exactly,” Jason agreed, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down. 

“Does this mean?” Kim asked, her eyes meeting Trini’s who knew exactly what she was asking.

“I think so,” she beamed, turning back so that she was firmly gripping the reins again. 

“How are we both feeling it though?” Jason asked, following Trini’s lead as she urged her horse forward once more. 

“I don’t know. That is a little strange, but I guess we will find out when we get there.”

“When is it going to be my turn,” Zack whined, following after the others.

“Who said you were going to get a turn?” Trini teased, laughing when she saw the worry flash across Zack’s face.

“That’s not even funny,” Zack barked. 

“I thought it was,” Trini shrugged, sending him a teasing wink before digging her heels in and picking up the pace to a steady gallop. After a couple hours, she slowed down to a trot to give their tired horses a break. 

“You know I love Astraea and everything, but I could definitely see myself living out here,” Kim hummed as she looked around at the beautiful hills and valleys they were surrounded by. The days of travel had definitely started to blend together for them, but the changing leaves were the first clear indicator of the change in the season. 

“You didn’t like Raijin or Azar?” Trini asked, turning her head slightly so that Kim could hear her better.

“I mean they were both beautiful places, but this is definitely more my style. Besides if I lived in Raijin you would never visit.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re not fooling anyone Trini. You hated that place. You were miserable the entire time.”

“I didn’t hate Raijin. I just don’t like the desert.”

“Clearly,” Kim laughed, finishing with a snort that Trini found oddly endearing. 

“Who says I’d visit you here?” 

“Please. You’d get bored without me.”

“You realize I’ve lived with Zack practically my whole life, right?”

“Fair point,” she laughed, stopping herself abruptly as the new sensation was beginning to make her more and more uncomfortable. “How did you deal with this?”

“I don’t think I really did, but it does start to dull down once you get a little more used to it. Trust me, whenever you guys find the power coin it’s only going to get worse.”

“Great, thanks for giving me something to look forward to.”

“You might not have to wait much longer,” Trini smirked, gesturing off into the distance as a tall structure could be seen poking out above the trees on top of a large hill. After another hour, they had made it halfway up the hill, allowing them to take in the sights of Vayu. It was similar to Azar in that it focused primarily on the architecture for its beauty. The large golden dome roof to the palace could be seen peering over the Kingdom walls, which were decorated with pink and white banners. Surrounding the palace were four tall towers topped off with smaller versions of the same golden dome that topped the palace. As they made it to the Kingdom gates, Trini’s breath hitched as she saw the long, shallow pool that led all the way up to the main palace stairs. In the center of the pool was a statue of a man, dressed in ornate pink and gold robes, riding an antelope. He carried a white flag in his right hand that was a stark contrast to his dark blue skin. It was unlike anything Trini had ever seen before. Now that they were closer it was clear that the palace walls were not as simple as they seemed from further away. The white walls were accented with gold and pink trim throughout and were covered in ornate floral patterns that gave it just enough texture to catch someone’s eye without standing out too much. After taking in the sights of the Kingdom, Trini spotted a nearby stable and led the group over to untack their horses and give them a much needed break. 

“So how are you feeling?” Trini asked as they walked out from the stables.

“Like I want to find this damn power coin and get this over with,” Kim mumbled, her hand rubbing slightly at her chest. 

“You definitely made this seem like no big deal, Trini,” Jason groaned.

“I mean it wasn’t easy, but I’ve been through worse,” Trini shrugged. 

“What exactly did you do before we met?” Kim asked, her eyebrows quirking up to match her curiosity.

“You probably shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want to hear the answers to.”

“No, I want to hear the answers. Indulge me.”

“I’ll tell you eventually. When I think you can handle it,” Trini winked, a smirk forming at her lips. 

“Whatever, can we just get moving?” Kim huffed, clearly not in the mood for playful banter. 

“Lead the way,” Trini motioned, allowing Kim and Jason to walk out in front. 

After they walked around the Kingdom in circles for what seemed like hours, Jason and Kim bickering the entire time, Trini pulled them both to the side, unable to take it anymore. 

“Can you two please work together?” Trini huffed, trying her best to be patient, but failing. 

“I would, but he won’t listen to anything I say!” Kim barked.

“I’m not listening? You’re the one who keeps taking a left and dragging us in circles,” Jason yelled.

“This is ridiculous. If you think you’re so much better at this then you go ahead and take the lead.”

“Hey guys?” Billy timidly asked, trying his best to grab the groups attention.

“Maybe I will! We’d be better off than following you,” Jason grumbled.

“Guys?” Billy tried again, raising his voice slightly. 

“Oh, I cannot wait to see how quickly this fails,” Kim laughed, shaking her head.

“Will you two shut up!” Trini yelled, unable to take it any longer. “Billy has been trying to say something and you two stubborn idiots won’t take one second to listen to anyone other than yourselves.”

“Sorry Billy,” Jason and Kim muttered, their shoulders slumping as they turned to face him. 

“It’s okay. I just, that girl over there. Doesn’t she look strangely familiar?” he motioned towards a blonde girl dressed in red who was leading a group of kids in basic fighting stances. Trini glanced in her direction, not recognizing her, but still feeling a strange familiarness that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, until something stood out to her. Her eyes landed on the sword she had in its sheath on her side. She had seen that same pattern before on another sword that had caught her attention on the walls in the Shiba house. She glanced back at the girl, suddenly realizing how similar her features were to Jayden. 

“She looks like Jayden,” Trini breathed.

“That’s what it is,” Billy beamed, nodding his head enthusiastically as the pieces seemed to come together for him. “You don’t think that could be Lauren, do you?” 

“I’d say it’s as good a lead as anything we have,” Trini shrugged. “Great job Billy,” she smiled, turning her head to send a disapproving look at Kim and Jason. They stayed at a comfortable distance, watching as the girl finished up her class with a bow to her students. As she started to move, Trini and Zack took the lead, following after her while trying to seem inconspicuous, something that the two of them were used to with all of their experience. It was usually very easy for them to follow people from a far enough distance, but whoever this girl was did not make it easy on them. Every time they caught sight of her, she seemed to weave around another corner to the point where Trini was starting to think she was doing it on purpose. The girl stopped for only a brief moment to join up with a slender, slightly taller, black-haired girl before quickly pulling her around the corner and out of sight. 

“Would she just stop with all of these unnecessary turns?” Trini whispered, picking up her pace to a jog as she rounded the corner, trying to see the girls’ next move before they lost sight of them completely. She knew better than to round the corner so quickly, but she was out of practice and made the mistake anyways. As they rounded the corner, Trini quickly halted as the blonde girl was standing only a couple feet away, her sword drawn. 

“Whoa, easy there!” Trini stammered, jumping back as the girl had moved the sword so that it was inches from her neck. 

“Why are you following us?” she seethed, keeping the tip of her blade firmly in its place at Trini’s neck. Before Trini could answer, both Jason and Kim gripped at their chests, grumbling incoherently to themselves as they must have experienced the pain that Trini had felt when she ran into Gia in Raijin. “What is wrong with them?”

“Uh, nothing. They’re fine.”

“They don’t look fine to me,” the dark-haired girl spoke, her tone pointed as her gaze seemed to be fixated on Kim. 

“It doesn’t even matter. Why are you following us,” the blonde girl demanded, thrusting her sword a little bit closer. 

“Okay, okay,” Trini started, raising her hands above her head in surrender. “My friends and I have been traveling for a while now and we just came from Azar. We were told that we might find someone here that we didn’t get a chance to meet there,” Trini lied, hoping to detect any sudden change in the girls face to figure out if her suspicions were right. Whoever this girl was it didn’t faze her for even a second. “You just happened to resemble the description.”

“Who is it you’re trying to find?”

“Lauren? Lauren Shiba,” Trini specified, noticing for the first time the nervous energy coming from the dark-haired girl as her hands were clenched together. 

“What do you want with her?”

“We’ve been searching for specific… artifacts, if you will, and I think she can help us.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the blonde girl replied, her face stoic as she gave Trini nothing to go off of. If she was Jayden’s sister, he could stand to learn a few things from her.

“I think you do,” Trini bravely challenged, carefully contemplating her next move for a moment as her hand rubbed at the power coin in her pocket. She decided to trust her instincts and pulled the yellow coin out, flashing it to the two girls in front of her. Their wide eyes settled quickly as she promptly returned it to her pocket, not wanting any potential prying eyes to see what she possessed. 

“Follow me,” the blonde girl replied, dropping her sword and returning it to its sheath. She turned away and began walking back towards the main part of town, keeping her friend in front of her the entire time. The two girls slowed down as they approached a quaint house that was separated from the rest just a little bit more than the others. As they walked in, Trini hesitated for a moment before following them inside, the rest of the group quickly following behind as the blonde girl closed the door behind them. 

“How did you get that?” she asked wasting no time as she had barely closed the door behind them. 

“When we went to Raijin, I had this awful feeling like something was pulling me towards something. Eventually we found a girl who had been guarding it for years and she gave it to me. Though it did take some time and effort to convince her,” Trini grumbled, remembering the ridiculous antics that Gia had put her through. 

“And you two. Is that what’s wrong with the both of you?” she asked turning her attention to Kim and Jason who were still obviously in discomfort. 

“Unfortunately,” Kim grunted while Jason simply nodded his head in response. 

“So, you’re after the rest of the power coins.”

“Yes.”

“And what exactly is your intention when you do find them?” she asked, her tone slightly more pointed as she turned her attention back to Trini. 

“Most of us come from Astraea. I don’t know if you’ve heard about what happened there, but we were forced to flee. We didn’t even know about the power coins until our friend here told us about the story,” Trini started, nodding towards Billy before continuing. “We traveled to Raijin on a whim simply because we had nowhere to run to anyways. We never expected any of this to happen, but it did. I’m not trying to become this all powerful person. Hell, I still don’t even know how to use it. I just want to be able to one day go back home to our Kingdom and this seems like the only way that will ever happen.”

“I knew I recognized you,” the dark-haired girl exclaimed. “You’re Princess Kimberly,” she finished, a proud smile erupting across her face. This sudden outburst caught Trini off guard. She turned to look at Kim, her heart beating faster at the implication of a stranger recognizing Kimberly’s real identity. 

“How did you know?” Kim asked, not even attempting to lie about her identity.

“Please, like a haircut would fool me.”

“It seems to have fooled everybody else,” Kim mumbled.

“I’m not everybody else.”

“Who exactly are you?” Trini asked, slightly irritated that they still hadn’t opened up at all to them and now had the upper hand with the knowledge of Kim’s identity. The girl hesitated, turning to look at her friend before continuing. 

“My name is Mia Watanabe. And this, as you seem to have already guessed, is Lauren Shiba.” There was an uncomfortable pause amongst them before Mia cleared her throat. “Aren’t you going to introduce yourselves?” 

“Oh, right,” Trini stammered, blushing from embarrassment as she quickly introduced the two girls to the rest of the group. 

“Now that we’re more familiar. Can I ask you how you knew I was here?” Lauren eagerly asked as if the question had been nagging at her this entire time. 

“Well, we didn’t really know you were here. I mean we knew you weren’t in Azar, your brother told us that much.”

“You spoke to my brother?”

“Yeah, we tried asking him about the power coin, but he wouldn’t give us much. He wasn’t really convincing though, which made me think that you were the best bet for us.”

“Yeah, he’s never really been great at lying,” she sighed, shaking her head. 

“Considering these two are still cowering, I take it that the rumors are true?” Trini asked, earning a simple nod from Lauren. “But what I don’t understand is why they are both reacting to it. I thought only one person was destined for each coin, unless…” she trailed, her eyes shifting over to Mia as it dawned on her. “You’re a defender as well,” she finished.

“You’re smarter than you look,” Mia laughed, nodding in approval towards Trini. 

“Thanks?” she responded, not sure whether to be appreciative or offended by her comment. 

“Okay, this talking thing is all great and everything, but can we just get to whatever trial you have for us so we can get this over with?” Kim snapped, her patience completely gone at this point as the nagging sensation was taking its toll on her.

“Trial?” Lauren asked, her eyebrows raising to match her confusion. 

“Yeah, blindfold me, tie me up, choke me, whatever. I just want to stop feeling like this,” Kim grunted, trying her best to take deep breaths to calm herself down. 

“Um, how about you just give me your hand,” Lauren said reaching forward as Kim quickly held her hand out. She grasped Kim’s hand in her own, but immediately shook her head as Mia moved to take it in hers instead, a genuine smile forming on her lips as she did. 

“She’s the one,” Mia smiled turning towards Lauren as she had moved on to take Jason’s hand in hers. She smiled as she met Mia’s gaze, silently communicating with her as they both pulled out the power coins they were carrying. Mia placed the pink power coin in Kim’s still outstretched hand as Lauren replaced her hand that was still grasping Jason’s with the red power coin. 

“Are you serious?” Trini seethed, her jaw hanging open as she watched the simple exchange in disbelief. “I had to go through Gia’s ridiculous trial, got my hand pricked by a cactus and choked out in the process, and you two just get it handed to you?”

“Did you really have to do that?” Lauren asked, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched a very frustrated Trini mumbling to herself. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she huffed, folding her arms over her chest. 

“I have never felt such sweet relief in my entire life,” Jason breathed, leaning back in his chair with a satisfying sigh. 

“If that isn’t the truth,” Kim agreed, resting her head on the table in front of them as she finally felt like herself again. 

“Wouldn’t know,” Zack grumbled, dramatically folding his arms to match Trini. 

“Don’t worry Zack, you’ll get yours soon,” Billy smiled, lightly patting Zack’s back once in his best attempt at cheering him up. As simple as it was it seemed to do the trick. 

“Do you guys have any information on how we are supposed to use the power coins?” Trini asked, trying her best to take advantage of this opportunity to get more useful knowledge. 

“Look, I have no problem answering all of your questions, but trust me when I say that we feel just as relieved as the both of you,” Lauren replied, motioning towards Jason and Kim. “I have dedicated most of my life to protecting that coin and I for one would like to celebrate the fact that I can now devote that time to other important things in my life,” she smiled, meeting Mia’s gaze as she took one of Mia’s hands within her own, intertwining their fingers together. The ease that these two girls displayed their affection was endearing, but Trini couldn’t help but feel a pang in her chest as she watched the sweet gesture. 

“Celebrate you say?” Zack asked, suddenly interested in the conversation at hand. 

“Yeah, so if you guys would like to head down into town, I’ll buy the first round,” Lauren said, laughing lightly as Zack took no time in making his way towards the door. 

“Zack, you really need a new hobby,” Trini sighed, following the rest of the group as they all made their way out the door and back towards the town square. They followed Lauren and Mia as they made their way into a small little pub that was already bustling with people. Mia rushed over to grab one of the only remaining empty tables as Lauren grabbed everyone’s order and made her way to the bar with Zack in tow. It didn’t take long before the pair were walking back with the drinks in hand, carefully placing them down on the table as they sorted them out to the correct people. 

“To sweet relief,” Lauren cheered, raising her mug out in front of her as the rest of the group clinked their glasses against hers, each taking a long swig of their chosen drink. As they slammed their mugs back onto the table, Kim spotted two familiar faces entering through the front door. 

“Is that Gia and Emma?” Kimberly asked, bringing everyone’s attention towards the two girls who were weaving their way towards them through the other people in the pub. 

“Is that the one who tied you up?” Lauren whispered to Trini with a smirk that she did not appreciate. 

“She didn’t tie me up, she blindfolded me,” Trini corrected, but it didn’t stop Lauren from chuckling to herself. 

“Gia! Emma!” Billy yelled, his face lighting up as they came closer. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We came looking for you guys,” Gia answered plainly, the slightest tug forming at her lips as she couldn’t completely resist a smile when she saw Billy’s excitement.

“Miss me already?” Trini teased, taking a small sip of her drink as the two girls took their spots next to Billy, directly across from Trini and Kim.

“I cried myself to sleep every night,” Gia responded with the most deadpan voice Trini had ever heard.

“Is she the mystery girl?” Kim whispered impossibly close to Trini’s ear sending a chill down her spine as she felt her hot breath on her skin. 

“Mystery girl?” Gia asked, her curiosity piquing as she caught the last bit of their conversation. 

“Don’t you dare, Kim,” Trini warned, but Kimberly was never one to run from a challenge. 

“Our friend Trini here has a crush on someone,” Kim started, her brow raising as she sent Trini a glance as if to say challenge accepted. 

“Does she now?” Gia smirked as Trini shook her head. “Do we know who would be so lucky as to have the honor?”

“No idea. I was thinking maybe you,” Kimberly said, unable to hold back a tiny laugh as she saw Trini’s eyes burning a hole through her. 

“Little old me?” Gia asked her eyes widening as she held a hand to her chest, faking shock. 

“Never in a million years,” Trini grumbled, her cheeks a deep shade of red. 

“Come on you two. Stop teasing her,” Emma said, her face resembling a disapproving mother. 

“We aren’t teasing. Gia and I are just trying to make Trini’s dreams a reality.” 

“You know it wasn’t that long ago that you two were one sudden move from jumping at each other’s throats and now you are suddenly on the same side?” Emma responded, trying her best to wrangle them in. 

“What can I say? I was wrong about Kimmy,” Gia shrugged.

“Do not call me Kimmy,” Kimberly warned, all of the teasing from before vanishing in an instant. 

“And just like that you’re back to square one,” Emma laughed, shaking her head at the two girls. 

“I like Kimmy,” Trini teased, quickly earning a glare from Kimberly.

“Is Kimmy the mystery girl?” Gia mocked, Trini’s eyes widening as she spoke the words. Emma saw the panic on Trini’s face and luckily seemed to be the only one who recognized it for what it was.

“No, she’s clearly into you Gia. But she’ll have to find someone else to crush on because you are taken,” Emma finished, punctuating her sentence with a kiss to Gia’s lips. Kimberly and Trini’s mouths dropped at the sudden display of affection. As the two girls broke apart Gia was left in a daze, causing Kimberly to chuckle.

“Who knew you were such a big softy,” Kimberly laughed. 

“I’d still beat your ass,” Gia grumbled, her body involuntarily relaxing as Emma slid her hand comfortably into hers. As Kim and Gia continued to bicker with each other, Trini noticed that Emma’s attention was still on her. As their eyes met, Emma gave Trini a small, knowing smile before moving to break up the antics of her girlfriend and Kim. The rest of the group broke out into a conversation amongst each other, but Trini could barely pay attention as she was too focused on the possibility that Emma knew that Kim was the mystery girl. A million situations and outcomes ran through Trini’s mind and every new possibility seemed more embarrassing and heartbreaking than the next. 

“So, are you guys coming along with us?” Trini heard Billy ask as she was finally able to focus on the conversation everyone around her was having.

“Uh, no. Sorry Billy, but that’s not the reason we came here,” Gia answered, unusually genuine. 

“Why did you guys come here?” Jason asked as the group stopped their side conversations to hear what the two girls had to say.

“We came to warn you guys,” Emma replied with a sad smile. 

“Warn us? About what?” Kimberly asked finally taking interest in something other than her argument with Gia. 

“When you guys left Raijin, I noticed someone watching you,” Gia started. “We know most of the people in Raijin, and whoever they were they were not from Raijin,” she paused as the others continued to listen intently. “Anyways, we kept an eye on them and it seemed like they were trailing you from a distance.”

“I noticed someone watching us in Azar, but I figured I was looking too far into it,” Trini mentioned, causing the others to snap their attention towards her. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Kim asked, unable to hide her irritation. 

“I don’t know. I just thought I was overthinking it. I didn’t want to make anyone panic,” Trini mumbled, dipping her head down as she could feel everyone else’s eyes on her. 

“You did the same thing with Rita and look where that got us,” Kim huffed, her tone relaxing as she could see how uncomfortable Trini was. 

“Rita? As in Rita Repulsa?” Lauren asked, her eyes widening as Kim nodded her head to answer her question. 

“Listen I know I messed up. I know I should have said something. I promise I will the next time I notice something,” Trini murmured. 

“Thank you,” Kim said softly, wrapping an arm around Trini’s shoulders with a gentle squeeze. Trini’s tension melted in an instant at the sudden contact, but she couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable as the fear that Emma knew how she truly felt was still nagging at the back of her mind. 

“How did you guys find us?” Jason asked, turning his attention back towards Gia and Emma. “Last time we saw you guys, we were heading towards Azar.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of my bad. Emma wanted to follow and tell you guys immediately, but I was a little reserved with the idea so we didn’t leave immediately,” Gia admitted with a sigh. Emma squeezed her hand for reassurance as she continued. “I’m sorry we would have made it to you guys a lot sooner if we had left when Emma wanted to. We may have even been able to catch whoever has been following you, but we haven’t seen them since that day you left Raijin.”

“So how did you find us?” 

“When we made it to Azar, we looked everywhere for you, but you guys had already left. I was pretty discouraged, but Emma convinced me to take one more chance and move onto the next closest Kingdom. And that brings us here.” 

“Do you think they followed you guys here?” Lauren asked, her tone unusually anxious.

“I don’t know, but if they did than they are getting better at hiding because I haven’t seen anyone in quite some time.” 

“Can I ask what they looked like?” 

“I didn’t get to see too much as they were pretty far away, but they were dressed in a dark shade of green armor,” Gia responded, the familiarity instantly causing Trini’s stomach to churn. 

“That’s exactly what I saw in Azar,” Trini murmured, her eyes meeting Lauren’s who were just as wide as hers. 

“I think I know who you saw,” Lauren sighed, taking a long sip of her drink before continuing. “Her name is Tommy.”

“How do you know that?” Gia questioned.

“She came to visit me a few months back and started asking me about the power coins. I didn’t find it abnormal at first. She wasn’t the first one to seek me out to ask about them, but after we talked for a while there was something different about her. She was more persistent than the others who came before her and she seemed like she was hiding something. I don’t know what it was about her, but she just made me feel uncomfortable. Right after she left, I packed up a few things and fled to Vayu to try and keep a low profile with Mia.”

“Great, so now we have to worry about someone else besides Rita?” Kim grumbled, her head resting in the palm of her hand as she leaned against the table. 

“I’m afraid so,” Lauren replied sympathetically as an audible groan was heard throughout the group. “She exuded this energy that I’ve never experienced before from anyone else, but it was an energy I was familiar with.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked, his brows furrowing as he waited for Lauren to respond.

“I mean that I could feel an energy coming from her that felt familiar to me. It felt exactly like the energy that I could feel coming from the power coin,” she whispered, motioning towards Jason’s pocket. 

“So, you’re saying you think she’s a…” he trailed.

“I think she’s a Power Ranger,” Lauren finished, sending a cold shock through Trini’s blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to apologize real quick because I know this one took a little longer to update than some of the other chapters. Luckily I've been blessed enough to still have a job to go to that gets me out of the house and I haven't had to properly quarantine until very recently, which has made it extremely tough to stay motivated creatively. This chapter was beginning to get pretty lengthy as I was writing it so I decided to cut it a little shorter than expected so that I could give you guys something to read. As a result the next chapter might be on the shorter side but will hopefully be updated a lot sooner. Hope you're all staying safe in these crazy times and thank you for your continued support.


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